Runaway Princess
by sesshyfan123
Summary: Both Zuko and Azula know about their father's ability to be very cruel. Zuko had witnessed it firsthand, but what happens when Azula does as well? Will her brother be there to support her? More importantly, will the Avatar and his friends accept Azula into their group? Will the tension between the princess and the Gaang ever cease? Read to find out, and review!
1. On the Day of the Black Sun

**Runaway Princess:**

Chapter 1: 

Princess Azula of the Fire Nation knew very well about her father's ability to be cruel. He was a power hungry being, consumed with the obsession of conquering the world. It was difficult to be the child of this man, and Azula knew of this deep inside her heart.

Being the princess, it was her sworn duty to act upon her father's commands, not only because she was his daughter, but because she was beneath him. Her job was to bow down to him on her knees, and to carry out every single one of his orders without batting an eyelash.

It was very difficult.

Azula found herself, at many times, consumed by the unrelenting pressure slammed onto her by her own father. The pressure of capturing the avatar, the pressure of being the second-most powerful firebender there ever was, and the pressure of being strong-willed and performing to her highest extent.

Her training was relentless, stretching many hours a day in the blazing sun, but Azula pushed through every day, knowing that she was maintaining her status as a very feared firebender. It was a part of her, her pride and joy, and she did not mind using it to hurt others, as long as her father was satisfied.

That night, Azula lay in her bed with tight muscles, feeling worn out. The Day of the Black Sun had just passed, and she had acted as distraction for the avatar in order to protect her father. All firebenders lost their power that day, including herself. Azula had to make due with her raw physical strength, agility, and endurance to draw the attention of the avatar and his friends. Even with the help of the Dai Li (who were taken out by the earthbending girl), Azula had to fend off aggressive attacks without her advantage of fire.

She couldn't help but smirk a bit to herself. That day was a pure display of her strength, even without her characteristic blue flames or lightning. Surely, she had proven that she was a formidable opponent.

But then a frown made its way onto Azula's face. Even though she had risked her life to defend her father, without any bending whatsoever, Azula could not remember a time when he properly complimented her. In fact, in the aftermath of the invasion, Ozai hardly even acknowledged her for her courage. Azula's frown deepened as she recalled the events of the day before, after the invasion had failed...

_Azula knelt on the ground before the Fire Lord, an expression of fresh triumph emblazoned on her face. Her black and red armor was dusty and smudged from fighting, but the princess held herself upright and proud. "Father, we have defeated the avatar's forces. I assure you this is a considerable blow to their confidence. They shall not take the Fire Nation lightly!"_

_"Hm," Ozai nodded. _

_Azula rose up to a standing position. "They were quite surprised to see me sitting on top of the throne instead of you," she said smugly._

_Ozai suddenly turned to Azula with anger blazing in his eyes.__"I should tell you that your brother, Zuko, has informed me about the truth of what happened in Ba Sing Se. It was you who failed to kill the avatar, not him!" _

_Azula blanched, but rapidly recovered. "Yes...I know." _

_Ozai regarded her suspiciously. "And why, may I ask, were you unable to carry out your duty?" _

_The princess felt nervousness creep into her spine, but shoved the pathetic emotion away as quickly as possible. She made sure her voice was steady before answering, "There was no way he could have survived my lightning alone, father. The waterbender has the ability to heal using water...that was the avatar's only means of survival."_

_Ozai's fists clenched together, and expelled a steady stream of hot breath out through his nose. "That's not all. Zuko has now fled the Fire Nation, and is in search of the avatar...he wishes to join forces with him." _

_Azula's eyes widened at the information. She composed herself and said, "Yes, I was aware that Zuko had left." _

_The Fire Lord's eyes narrowed. "How did you know?" _

_"I...I saw him leave on an airship." _

_The Fire Lord involuntarily began to heat up the room in his anger. "WHAT? You saw that traitor leave and you did nothing to stop him?" he bellowed. _

_"Forgive me, father, but there were far too many things to give attention to at the moment," Azula hastily crafted up the response. "I simply thought that Zuko was traveling somewhere...it never occurred to me that his intentions were to side with the avatar." _

_Ozai hissed in anger and turned around, his scarlet robes flowing around him. "I expect you to track him down, and dispose of him. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes, father." _

_"Do _not_ disappoint me," the Fire Lord glared at his daughter._

And yet she already had. Once when she failed to kill the avatar, and a second time when she did not chase after Zuko. But Azula could not tell her father the truth.

The truth was that she had felt too tired to run after her brother. She was sick of constantly pursuing her enemies, and after that very long day, Azula had simply let her brother off the hook.

_Had I felt...lazy_? Azula asked herself fearfully. _No, no, that cannot be it. It simply wanted Zuzu to have a head start, that's_ _all_. Azula quickly dismissed the absolutely ridiculous notion._ Tomorrow I will begin my chase for him._ She sighed.

Azula knew that weakness was _not_ an option. Her entire life, she had trained herself to become powerful, pushing herself to the limits in her bending, as well as studies of military strategies. Her entire life was devoted to pleasing her father, Fire Lord Ozai, and to complete her duties as princess. She was, after all, the heir to the throne, not the pathetic excuse of a prince, Zuko.

Her brother had betrayed the nation, yet _again,_ and ran off to join the avatar in his mission to stop the Fire Nation.

Lying in her bed, Azula felt herself scoff with disdain. _Why am I thinking about Zuzu? _For a while now, she had been pushing back thoughts of her brother. _He's weak, he's stupid, and he will never be worthy of me! Why am I thinking about the vermin? _

Azula rolled over onto her side, tossing and turning under the thick covers. _He's a traitor...but even so, why do I feel a pathetic longing for him?_ Then a thought occurred to her. _I must miss torturing him, that's all._ The princess sneered as she closed her eyes. _Yes, that's it._

**This chapter was just a brief introduction, and the next will have more dialogue, possibly action (Action will come more in later chapters, definitely! Don't worry!). Please review! **


	2. To Celebrate Being An Only Child

Chapter 2:

*A few weeks after the Day of the Black Sun*

A jet of fire narrow skimmed past Aang's head. He ducked, twirling gracefully and countered with a fireball of his own. Zuko swiftly demolished Aang's flame, and then rapidly sent a stream of fire roaring back.

Katara and Sokka observed, engrossed in the display of skill before their eyes. It had been about two weeks since Zuko joined the Gaang. Day after day, the former Fire Nation prince had been drilling firebending skills into the young avatar. Aang showed remarkable improvement, and was now skilled enough to have a proper sparring session with Zuko himself.

After exchanging a few more vicious but non-fatal blows, Zuko called off the lesson. "That's it for today, Aang."

The bald boy flopped onto the ground, tired but satisfied. Momo swept down from the ceiling of the ancient temple and made himself comfortable on Aang's face.

"You're making quite an improvement, Aang," Zuko acknowledged.

"Alright boys, it's time for lunch!" Katara called. She began to distribute plates full of roasted squirrel-rabbits that had been unlucky enough to be hanging around when the Gaang was hunting.

Sokka, Aang, and Toph immediately began to shamelessly shove food down their throats. Katara and Zuko ate with more dignity.

When their meal was done, Aang announced, "I'm going to go for a little ride with my glider." Seeing Katara's concerned gaze, he quickly added, "Don't worry! It'll just be for a little bit. I'm going to see if I can't catch a few more squirrel-rabbits for our dinner. With that, the young monk took off into the air, soaring gracefully until he disappeared around the rocky mountainside.

Katara watched him go with a wistful look on her face, but then turn back and attended to cleaning up camp. Zuko went to practice his bending, while Sokka sprawled onto the rocky ground and slept, drooling every once in a while.

Toph was casually lounging against a stone pillar when she began to sense strange vibrations, not with her feet, but with her super-sensitive hearing. Normally, there were the familiar sensations of Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Zuko milling about doing their business. Also, the softer feeling of Momo, and the heavy rumbling of Appa's breathing while he slept on the ground.

However, Toph sensed that something large was approaching, something unwelcome. Even though this particular object was not touching the earth, Toph could still hear that it was coming, and it was coming fast.

"Guys?" she leapt up into the air. "There's something huge approaching us, and I have a feeling we should be worried."

Katara and Zuko stopped what they were doing and listened. Sure enough, in the distance, there was the distinct sound of heavy machinery. It was getting louder as the seconds ticked by.

Katara dropped what she was holding and rushed over to Sokka, vigorously shaking him.

"Huh, what?" the water tribe boy mumbled. He was practically yanked up to his feet by his sister.

"There's danger coming at us," she briefly informed him. Sokka took a few moments to register what he heard. Then he sprung upright and snatched up his trusty boomerang. "Where are they?" he demanded. "Bring it on!"

"We're not sure what it is yet…" Katara began.

"No," Zuko interrupted. "I know exactly what that is. That's the sound of a Fire Nation airship. And even from this distance you can see the red emblem on its side," the prince noted grimly.

The four of them lined up next to each other, with Katara, Toph, and Zuko getting ready to bend their element, and Sokka wielding his weapons.

"It's the Fire Nation," Katara hissed. "I'll bet they're looking for Aang."

"Or me," Zuko interjected.

Katara cast him a wary look. "I wonder how they knew to find us here..."

Zuko stared back. "I did NOT lead them here. I swear!"

"I never accused you," Katara said unconvincingly.

They both turned back to gaze upon the enormous gray and red airship that was careening around the mountainside. The giant mode of transportation was now a mere three hundred feet away, and was rapidly approaching.

Fire Nation soldiers could be seen standing at the railings, clad in scarlet armor. And there, standing at the helm, was none other than Princess Azula, dressed in her jet black armor with her signature stern topknot hairstyle.

Her characteristic smirk danced upon her lips as she stared down like a predator.

"What are you doing here, Azula?" Zuko shouted.

"Isn't it obvious, Zuzu?" she purred. "I'm about to celebrate being an only child!" With that, she nimbly jumped over the railings and landed right in front of four members of the Gaang.

Immediately (and unsurprisingly), all of hell broke loose. Azula did the limbo and avoided getting decapitated by Sokka boomerang. Toph shifted the ground beneath the princess's feet, causing her to flail and then roughly land on the ground on her palms. Azula glared up at Toph and released a beam of fire, which Toph deflected with a sturdy wall of stone.

The Fire Nation soldiers began to rapidly disembark. There were twenty of them, all firebenders, and all acting under the orders of the princess. They completely surrounded Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko with the blink of an eye.

"Leave Zuzu to me," Azula commanded. She lunged for her brother, releasing powerful streaks of her bright blue flames. Zuko matched each of those attacks with fluid kicks that let loose a rapid volley of fireballs.

"How did you find us?" Zuko demanded, shooting out a stream of orange fire. It snaked toward his sister, but she dispersed it with her own flames.

"I have my ways," Azula said arrogantly. "I've always managed to track down the avatar, so what makes you think I can't find you as well? You traitor!" she planted herself into a firebending form, and lightning began to emit all around her being.

Zuko did not have time to ready himself to redirect the lightning, but Katara had brought a massive flood of water from the fountain near them and nullified Azula's lightning. She used the water to freeze Azula's feet to the ground. Zuko took advantage of that moment and blasted his sister with a brutal attack.

Azula managed to summon up a wall of fire, but being in such a bad posture, she still took some of the heat from Zuko's attack. The princess quickly melted the ice that was pinning her down and assaulted her brother with swift but nasty fireballs.

Zuko summoned a deluge of flames and wiped away Azula's attack.

_How has he gotten so strong?_ Azula marveled, with slight annoyance. _It doesn't matter._ She pushed the thoughts down. _I am still much more powerful...he will never surpass me! I think it's time to kick things up a notch. _

Meanwhile, Toph, Katara, and Sokka were kept busy by the soldiers. Toph was busy knocking them off of the cliff altogether, while Katara used a more humane way of immobilizing them; freezing the soldiers in blocks of ice. Sokka was recklessly swinging his boomerang around, managing to knock out some of the men.

"Katara, you better be careful," Toph remarked. "They're melting their way out of your ice blocks. Why don't you just let me roll them off the cliff side and get it over with?"

"No," Katara said firmly. She used her waterbending to add on a few more layers of ice, before transporting the frozen soldiers back onto the airship.

Zuko and Azula were furiously engaged in an intense battle. Azula's lightning flashed her and there, while Zuko zipped about, avoiding her attacks and returning them back at full force.

He redirected a stream of her lightning, aiming it straight for her face. Azula growled in anger and she narrowly avoided the attack. But deep down, a new concern began to grow. All her life, she never had to worry too much about anyone attacking her with lightning. But Zuko's new style of redirecting it really was a nuisance. However, Azula reminded herself that such a method was _cheating_. Zuko was unable to conjure up the lightning himself, and therefore he had to use her power in order to do it. This way of thinking helped to reassure Azula of her standing as the second-most powerful firebender.

With renewed confidence, Azula began to advance, powerfully countering Zuko's attacks and delivering ones that were ten times the intensity. Zuko gradually stepped back, retreating.

As Azula unleashed attack after attack upon her brother, she began to mentally prepare for what was going to happen next. _I'm going to kill Zuko. _For some reason, those words sounded a bit alien to her ears. Azula hesitated slightly, increasing the time between her vigorous attacks.

_Sure, I hate my weak brother, but..._Azula had never thought of truly _murdering_ him in cold blood before. For reasons she could not understand, the thought left a bad taste in her mouth.

_No!_ Another voice screamed in her mind. _You will follow your father's orders. You know that this boy is weak, and deserves to be rid of as soon as possible!_

_But he isn't weak,_ Azula thought, pressing her lips together tightly. _At least, not as weak as he used to be. _Then Azula shook her head furiously, almost slapping herself for being so stupid. Since when had the powerful princess struggled to make decisions before? It had all been too easy, until her father ordered her to kill her brother. It was true that she had killed countless of people before, but those were unknown faces, and lives she did not have a connection to whatsoever.

Zuko stumbled over a ledge on the ground and landed flat on his back. Azula saw this opportunity immediately and pounced on him. She generated a terrifying amount of lightning, and concentrated it on two of her fingers. Then, slowly, she directed the crackling electricity toward her brother's face.

Toph, Katara, and Sokka were now gaping in terror and hopelessness as they watched Azula. She was seconds away from obliterating Zuko.

_This is my brother,_ the thought shot through Azula's head, regardless of whether she wanted it to or not. This is the person who actually protected her when they were small children, the one who she looked up to (for a very small amount of time), and...the one who first taught her bending.

Azula's lightning halted just before it penetrated Zuko's skull. In less than a second, the sky stopped sparkling with electricity, and Azula stood up.

"I'm not actually here for you," she lied convincingly. "I'm here for the avatar. And as he does not seem to be present at the moment, I shall gather up my forces, and then destroy him for sure." She turned around just to give all of them a sneer before leaping back onto the airship.

Her soldiers followed her immediately, and within minutes, the gigantic balloon had veered off and was disappearing over the mountains.

Zuko was still lying on the ground, stunned, until he saw Katara's hand reaching for him. He grabbed it and hoisted himself up.

Nobody seemed to know what to say.

"I still think those soldiers should have been pushed off the cliff," Toph chimed.

Katara ignored her. "What I'm wondering is...how did Azula find out our location...and why did she come all the way over here just to leave all of us unharmed?"

"What _I'm_ wondering is," Zuko stared off into the distance, still stunned. "...why Azula spared my life."

**Ok so this chapter was really tough for me to write, for some reason. I HOPE I didn't make Azula too OOC, but if I did, just let me know and I'll try to fix it. Anyways, please tell me what you thought of this chapter, and review!**


	3. Failures and Weaknesses

**To clear things up a bit, the Gaang is at the Western Air temple, and the events of the Boiling Rock have not occurred yet. Oh, and because I feel that they are not very important characters, Haru, The Duke, and Teo will not be present in this story. And YES I realize Aang is a vegetarian. Sorry guys, I forgot about this. Forgive me! Anyways, this chapter stretched on a bit longer than anticipated, so I'm going to split it up into two chapters instead. Enjoy! **

Chapter 3:

Azula stood at the helm of the airship, in a daze that seemed to last hours. Her thoughts were juggling around in her brain, and she had a bit of trouble sorting them all out. When Fire Lord Ozai had commanded her to hunt for the avatar, she had run into Zuko many times. During those times, the two siblings were enemies, both trying to gain the upper hand (Azula had proven superior all of those times).

It was true that Azula relished in tormenting Zuko and making him cry when they were younger. She bathed in the glory of being the more powerful firebender, and being the preferred heir to the throne. When Ozai had burned Zuko's face, Azula could not deny the feeling of triumph at seeing her brother's pain and weakness, and her father's display of power. Not to mention that she could now see a clear path to the throne.

But it had never occurred to her to murder her brother before. The only person that Ozai had ordered her to kill was the avatar, and Azula had to qualms about doing that. In fact, up until now, Ozai had cared less about Zuko, at least until her brother betrayed the Fire Nation. Azula felt an unfamiliar cold feeling that crept into her bones every time she thought about having to end Zuko's life. She hated the strange sensation, because she had never felt anything of the sort ever before.

At the same time, however, the princess had never thought about disobeying her father before. Her entire life, she had instantly followed his orders without hesitation. The more she thought about it, the more she came to realize that there were going to be terrible consequences for failing her mission.

The cold feeling seemed to intensify, except that it was at a different caliber this time. What she felt when she thought she had to kill Zuko was akin to guilt. But when her thoughts strayed over to what will happen to her when she returned to the Fire Nation...Azula swallowed.

_Oh, what am I worried about?_ she mentally kicked herself for feeling such a pathetic emotion. _Father loves me...I'm sure of it. He would never punish me severely._ But then old memories began to resurface. Azula remembered how Ozai had mercilessly pushed her past her physical limits in order to train her firebending. She remembered being burned if she was not able to perform to the standards.

No matter how much Azula attempted to reassure herself, she could not brush away the feeling that hell was awaiting her when she returned to the Royal Palace.

_I could just turn this airship around and electrocute Zuko until nothing is left but a pile of ash..._Azula thought grimly. _Then I will not have to fear father's judgment. _But instead, Azula merely gripped the cold metal railings and stood there until the airship glided back to her home.

**OoOoOoOoOo **

"Aang!" Katara exclaimed when she spotted the blazing orange glider in the sky.

Aang swept down from the air and snapped his glider shut. In his hands were sacks of fruit that he had collected. "What's wrong Katara? You sound worried."

"And rightfully so," Toph casually remarked from where she was stretched out. "Guess who paid us a visit while you were gone?"

The monk gave her a blank stare.

"It's that damned Azula again!" Katara exclaimed with frustration. "She can never leave us alone, can she?"

Aang felt himself going cold at the mention of the name of the demon who had nearly killed him in the avatar state. "How did she find us?"

"Beats me," Sokka said grimly, sharpening his boomerang. Aang did not miss the suspicious glance his friend cast to Zuko, who was leaning against a distant pillar. Zuko had only recently been accepted to join the Gaang, and several people, including Katara, still had trust issues with him. And it seemed too much of a coincidence that just a few weeks after Zuko joined them, Azula showed up out of nowhere.

"W-well we can't assume anything," Aang said quickly. "We all know that Azula is a great tracker, and she's been able to chase after us for a while now. It doesn't surprise me that she was able to discover this place."

"Well it doesn't matter," Katara threw up her hands. "We have to leave here as soon as possible."

"No," Zuko murmured quietly. "I don't think we have to worry about Azula."

"What are you talking about?" Sokka said, incredulous. "You're devil sister just attacked us with a Fire Nation airship, and you expect us just to sit here and wait for her to come back with reinforcements?"

"But...she retreated, after sparing me my life," Zuko said, sounding a bit awed.

"Oh please," Sokka scoffed. "She only retreated because she knew that she didn't stand a chance with all of us. The moment she zapped you, we would have all decapitated her at the same time. I'm telling you, that witch is going to come back with a whole fleet of airships. The Fire Nation knows our location now, so the smart thing to do is to skedaddle out of here!"

"I agree with Sokka," Toph chimed in. "I'm not going to wait around for that crazy girl who can shoot lightning. Let's just say I'm not a big fan of getting fried to a crisp."

"Amen," Aang breathed.

"Fine," Zuko consented. "Let's leave first thing in the morning, then."

**OoOoOoOoOo **

Azula knelt on the ground before her father. Ozai slowly paced around her in a circle. Anger emitted from his every pore, but the Fire Lord calmed himself before speaking.

"What you are telling me..." his tone was dark. "...is that you failed to kill your brother?"

"Yes." Azula was not one to make excuses. She took full blame for her failures, unlike Zuko, who would be stammering with excuses at the moment.

"You could not get rid of one pathetic, weak, treacherous boy like Zuko?" The Fire Lord hissed.

"He's not weak." Azula's words came out before she could stop them. Her eyes widened slightly, for she had not expected her voice to betray her like that. Azula usually had complete control over her thoughts, but it seemed that this particular one had been circling her mind for so long now that it slipped right out her mouth.

"Yes, he's pathetic, and yes, he is a traitor," Azula tried to redeem herself. "But he isn't quite as weak as he used to be."

Ozai was visibly incensed. His right hand massaged his brows as he spat out the next question. "Why were you unable to destroy him?"

Azula, once again, felt that feeling of dread creep up her spine. She felt angry and confused at herself. She felt ashamed for being to weak to carry out the job, but at the same time, she was quite _content_ because she had not carried it out.

Taking a deep breath, Azula knew that there would be no lying to her father. The truth had to come out, whether he accepted it or not. "I cannot kill my brother."

"WHAT?"

Azula rose up and stood upright. "You can order me to kill the avatar, and I will put forth all of my power into doing so. But the same does not go toward my brother. Yes, I hate him. No, I cannot kill him." Azula mentally cringed as the words came out. But on the exterior, she kept a calm and composed demeanor.

Ozai bristled immensely. "So what you are saying, Azula, is that you will disobey me?"

Azula pressed her lips tightly together. _Remember that you are strong. Remember that you are feared by everyone, with the exception of your father. He loves you. He cannot hurt you, not like he did to Zuko. Remember that. _

There was no more running away. With a firm and steady voice, Azula replied, "Yes."

That one word sealed her fate.

Ozai nearly exploded with anger. The flames around his throne erupted into the air as the Fire Lord released his fury. "YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN ZUKO!" Ozai roared. "You do not know how to respect your superiors!"

"Father, that is the only order I cannot carry out," Azula stated calmly. But underneath her cool lay a silent plea. _Please understand. _

The Fire Lord was shaking with anger. How dare his daughter disobey him like that? She must be punished. She must learn her place. And even more importantly, she must learn to fear him.

Ozai spoke in a low, dangerous tone. "Because you committed an offense against me, you shall pay the price, just as your brother did." Ozai's golden eyes bore into his daughter's. It took all of Azula's willpower not to avert her eyes.

"I hereby command you to battle against me in an Agni Kai!"

Azula's blood froze when she registered those words. Clearly her father cannot be serious. But she forced her lips to move, and said, "I accept."

"The duel will commence at dawn," Ozai announced darkly. "Now...GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Pivoting on her feet, Azula whipped around and strode toward the exit of the throne room. Although she held herself straight and tall, her heart continued to rapidly pound against her chest the entire way out.

**Someone tell me if I'm making Azula too OOC...I'm TRYING not to do that, but for some reason, it's really difficult! But stay tuned! And remember to review!**


	4. Agni Kai: Azula vs Ozai pt 1

Chapter 4:

Azula knew that she needed to gather as must rest as possible that night before facing her father at dawn. The moment she exited the throne room, she snarled at her servants to prepare a hot bath for her, as well as massage every muscle in her shoulders and back. The servants scattered to do her bidding. Azula would normally smirk at the sight of the fear on their faces, but tonight, she simply wasn't in the mood. Her heart was mercilessly rapping against her rib cage, and the princess felt a little dazed at the previous events.

One thing that Azula was sure of was that she would absolutely _not_ suffer the same fate that Zuko did. During the fateful Agni Kai between Zuko and Ozai, her brother had outright refused to fight back. Azula cringed at the thought of doing such a pathetic thing. No. She was going to throw everything she had at her father, and prove that she was not a weak failure.

As she lowered herself into the steaming water sprinkled with herbs, Azula thought back on the times when Ozai had personally trained her firebending. She would remember him attacking her with flames, and her struggling to counter those attacks. It had been a while since their last training session. Partially because Azula's skilled had skyrocketed enough, and not to mention that Ozai was preoccupied with world domination, and Azula was busy chasing after the Avatar.

_Tomorrow, I will show him what I can do,_ Azula took a deep breath.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Normally, very few servants were up and about in the early morning. There were the cooks that were just beginning to prepare breakfast, and the scanty servants cleaning the halls.

Today was a whole different matter. By the time the first light of dawn came, the whole Royal Palace was jammed packed with boisterous crowds. The crowd consisted of servants, administrators, generals, and noblemen and women, dragging their children with them. And they were all here for one reason: to witness the magnificent duel of the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation princess.

The guards in the palace flooded out, controlling the crowds and directed them outside, where there was a vast open space for the Agni Kai to occur. Normally, the battle would be held inside in a special hall. However, since the two most powerful firebenders in the world were battling, common sense stated that they would require more room. If they tried to duel inside, they might end up taking down the entire palace.

Azula had risen an hour early to warm up and meditate. She had forced herself to sleep last night, but she was so anxious about the fight that she could not sleep soundly. After stretching and warming up with some firebending forms, Azula began to dress. Normally she would have the servants dress her, but for today, Azula needed some time to focus and think without outside distractions.

She realized that it had been years since she participated in an Agni Kai. No one had dared to challenge her, at least not until last night. Azula pulled on dark red pants, and tied the belt loosely. She then slipped on a pair of unique boots (if that's what you could call them). They were made of soft leather, and did not cover the soles of one's feet, nor the front of it.

Pulling on a sleeveless red top to match, Azula looked at her appearance in the mirror. With a bit of annoyance, she thought about how much she disliked the fact that the participants in an Agni Kai were required to shed their outer clothing. She was a princess, and should be expected to dress elegantly and modestly.

Brushing off the thought, Azula slipped two identical golden rings up each of her biceps. Looking at her long, loose hair, Azula knew better than to attempt to tie it up. That was when she called upon one of the servants.

When she exited the room, two guards stood nearby, waiting to escort her to the arena. Azula draped on a scarlet robe and followed the guards who were making a path through the crowd for her.

Azula took in a deep breath and ignored all of the noise, chaos, and clamoring. If she wanted to perform to the best of her ability, she needed to focus. As she breathed in the crisp morning air, she caught sight of her father, her lord, and her opponent.

Ozai strode down the aisle, looking more intimidating than ever. His golden orbs blazed into hers, and Azula met them.

"This duel ends when one of us can no longer stand," her father's deep voice rang through the air. "Let's see just how powerful you are."

"You won't be disappointed," Azula replied evenly.

The two duelers made their way toward the opposite ends, and then knelt down in a low bow before each other. Azula smoothly threw her robes off her shoulders, and Ozai did the same. As they readied themselves into the most advanced firebending stances, Azula caught sight of her father's solid slabs of muscle, bulging through his skin. She felt the aggravating sensation of fear creeping into her veins, despite all of her efforts to quench it.

Azula shook her head slightly, banishing all other emotion besides determination. _It doesn't matter that he's my father. I will come at him with everything I have._

When the gong sounded loudly, Ozai made the first move, spinning in the air and releasing a great ball of fire. Azula sank deeper into her form and diminished her father's attack with a burst of her own flames. She could feel the heat and intensity of the attack. If she had waited even half a second later, she surely would have suffered some burns. Ozai did not hesitate; he rapidly punched the air, and on his command, bolts of fire blasted from his fists.

Azula let loose her distinctive blue flames, creating a snake that promptly destroyed each of Ozai's orbs of fire. She then retaliated, her toned limbs moving with such speed that the crowd had trouble keeping up with her movements. Blue heat blazed from her body as she assaulted the Fire Lord with vicious attacks.

Ozai merely smirked, pleased at seeing his daughter's skill. He steadily blocked each and every one of Azula's attacks with a minimum amount of difficulty.

Azula gritted her teeth, kicking and twirling in midair. Each time, her flame-covered legs made contact with Ozai's solid, muscular arms, which bore orange flames of their own.

_Calm your mind_, Azula forced herself. _He must have an opening somewhere!_ Her eyes darted all around her father's form, searching for a small weakness, anything that might give her the upper hand. She had already known that this was going to be a challenging fight. Her father was stronger and more experienced.

Ozai coolly blocked Azula's attacks, wary of leaving any openings. He felt a spark of triumph when the princess, let her form slip up a bit. She had been so absorbed in looking for openings in her opponent that she accidentally left one on herself. It was only for a small fraction of a second, but it was enough. Ozai snatched up the opportunity and slammed a rock-hard fistful of fire into Azula's ribs.

The princess was violently blown back. She collided hard with the ground, but swiftly rolled over and landed gracefully back on her feet. Her face betrayed a small glimpse of pain, but then an calm and emotionless mask took over. Azula struggled to ignore the throbbing of her ribs. She made a mental note to never make the same mistake of leaving herself open again.

"Come now, Azula," Ozai growled. "You can do much better than that!"

Azula's jaw clenched at those words. She summoned a dangerous amount of lightning and directed it toward her father. Ozai jumped out of the way and kicked his legs out. A gigantic ball of orange fire erupted from them thundered toward Azula. She blasted the attack with her blue fire and both of the flames evaporated into the air.

Ozai and Azula stood facing each other. Neither of them averted their eyes. Their breathing was heavier, but they were still strong. The crowd was exclaiming loudly, not cheering for any particular person, but for the thrill of watching the fight itself.

Just from looking at her father's face, Azula knew that this battle was long before over.

**OoOoOoOoOo **

**As usual, please review! It's greatly appreciated, and it really motivates me to write more and update sooner! ;) **


	5. Agni Kai: Azula vs Ozai pt 2

Chapter 5:

The crowd exclaimed in awe as the two firebenders brutally attacked each other. Orange and blue flames were erupting into the air, eliciting commotion from the audience.

Azula and Ozai dashed about the arena, struggling to deliver hits to their opponent. Azula rapidly delivered punch after punch. Her jaw clenched in fierce concentration. Both of the firebenders slowly advanced toward each other. All the while forceful attacks were launched at each other. Neither of the two warriors backed down.

Before they knew it, both Ozai and Azula were close enough for hand to hand combat. Ozai lifted his foot and kicked at Azula's head. The princess gracefully dodged. She could feel the heat of the flames licking at her face as his leg zipped by. Azula slammed two fists into Ozai's hard stomach. She let out a blast of blue flames, but Ozai roughly grabbed her fists and swung her over his head.

Azula managed to land on her feet and twist out of her father's grasp. She saw his outstretched palms summoning an enormous ball of fire. Whirling around, Azula created a spinning shield of blue flames that deflected Ozai's blow.

She hurriedly fell back into a firebending stance. Taking in a huge breath, Azula let the energy inside of her flow through her arms. Putting two of her fingers together, she released the energy in the form of crackling lightning. Ozai landed in the same form and shot a stream of electricity back at her.

Their two attacks clashed, and both duelers held their lightning for an excruciating amount of time. They fought each other, trying to gain dominance over the battle of electricity. Azula ground her teeth together, focusing her strength on the attack. If she were to surrender, she would surely lose when his lightning hit her. She could feel her energy slowly draining away, but Azula refused to submit.

Ozai gnashed his jaws together. Just how long could his daughter hold out?

After a few intense moments, both benders released their lightning at the same time. An explosion reverberated through the air. Ozai and Azula were violently blasted back from the repercussions of their attacks.

Azula was flung on the ground like a sack of potatoes, flipping and going head over toes uncontrollably. She smashed her shoulder, hip, and head against the ground as she flew back. She skidded on the ground on her hands and knees before shakily rising again.

She rose from the ground with as much dignity as possible, and saw that Ozai was standing at the end of the arena, braced in his stance. She noticed his shoulders were moving up and down, and a sheen of sweat covered his entire body. Azula felt a small sense of accomplishment at making her father work hard to beat her.

She noted with less satisfaction that she was covered in just as much sweat as he was. Her muscles were beginning to quiver slightly, and her chest was heaving.

Azula swallowed when she realized her chance of winning was a slim one. Ozai let out a jet of fire and Azula rolled out of the way. She counterattacked with quick, short blasts.

Azula released a rocket of fire beneath her feet, propelling her around her father. She released ferocious attacks of fire, while speeding around her opponent. Every blast sapped away at her strength, but Azula knew that she could keep up her firebending for a long time.

Ozai predicted where she was going to go and expelled a powerful blast, blowing her away. Azula felt searing hot flames tear at her skin as she raised her arms in defense. She crashed onto the ground on her back, and dust rose into the air. Azula shakily hoisted herself upright, just in time to see Ozai charging at her. He shot at her, and Azula jumped out of the way. She was a second late, however, and the fire burned the skin on her legs.

Azula released a bolt of lightning that grazed Ozai on the shoulder. He hissed with pain but continued sprinting at her.

The two firebenders clashed for the hundredth time. Scorching flames exploded here and there. The two most powerful firebenders fearlessly unleashed brutal attacks on each other. Fire burned the ground beneath them to a crisp, darkened with black soot. The duelists expelled their power, strength, and energy in an attempt to overthrow the other. Burns and bruises were given and received. The scent of determination and sweat hung in the air.

The crowd gaped with unblinking eyes, absorbing every detail of the battle. The Fire Lord and the Fire Princess exchanged furious blows, and it began to seem like the Fire Lord had the upper hand. He was stronger, and had more endurance and experience. Azula was a prodigy, but just being a prodigy wasn't enough to defeat the most powerful firebender in the world.

Azula felt her bones creaking with exhaustion. She was covered in injuries that ranged from medium to minor. Sweat dripped freely from her face now, and her hair had made its way out of the topknot and hung down loosely. She was breathing heavily, and was beginning to feel the accumulated fatigue of the long and drawn-out fight.

Ozai was in better condition, though he without a doubt felt the heavy pressure of tiredness settling into his body. The two of them had been battling intensely for nearly an hour now.

Every attack that Ozai sent at her threatened to snatch her off her feet. It took everything Azula had to stay steady and defend herself.

Azula panted and conjured up a blast of fire. It was nowhere near as powerful as it normally would have been. Ozai easily swatted it away and slowly walked toward his daughter. Without a warning, he sent out searing flames that caught her in the arm. Azula saw the attack coming, but her body was too sluggish to avoid the rapid attack. She bit her lip to keep from exclaiming in pain. Ozai slammed his foot into her ribs and Azula crumpled to the ground.

"What's wrong, Azula?" Ozai whispered darkly. "Aren't you going to prove you are worthy of being my daughter? Now _stand up and fight_!" Ozai reached down to strike her in the jaw, but Azula smacked his arms out of the way and blasted Ozai head on. The Fire Lord extinguished most of his daughters flames and smirked.

Azula got up to her feet and sank into a firebending form. Her limbs were shaking but she was not going to give up. Concentrating, Azula attempted to strike Ozai with lightning. The Fire Lord read her movements, dodged the attack, and engulfed Azula in a deluge of flames.

The princess let out an anguished cry as the flames brutally ate away at her skin. She expelled blue fire from her body, erasing Ozai's attack. Azula fell onto the ground on her stomach.

She could feel all the eyes from the crowd land on her. The audience was clearly in complete shock at seeing their princess knocked down in such a state. It wasn't something one witnessed every day.

Azula struggled to prop herself up. She saw her father's feet stop a few inches away from her. Ozai lifted his foot slowly, and then spitefully stomped on Azula's head. She could have sworn she heard her skull crack against the hard ground. Her vision blurred together and stars danced at the edge of her vision. A terrible, sharp, searing pain exploded from her head.

"Yield," Ozai said coldly.

"...N-never..." Azula gasped out. She pushed herself up on her elbows, shaking with the effort. Azula somehow managed to stagger to her feet with her head spinning. As soon as she stood up, her legs betrayed her. They buckled beneath her and Azula toppled back onto the ground. She lay on her back, staring up at her father. His image was blurry and unfocused.

"You will pay the price honorably," Ozai's lips moved, but his voice seemed a bit detached in Azula's mind. "You will pay for failing to kill Zuko. You will pay for lying to me and disobeying me. And you will pay for losing this Agni Kai."

Azula clenched her teeth, feeling weak. She had failed her father, yet again. In the back of Azula's mind, she knew that Ozai could not possibly plan to scar her for life. _I'm not Zuko_, she told herself, dazed. But Azula felt that she should know better. After all, her father was cruel.

Ozai put both of his hands forward and balled them up. An immense gale of fire erupted from both of his fists and struck the fallen princess was full force. Azula's cry penetrated the air as the crowd watched.

The people of the Fire Nation had seen the Fire Lord's brutal punishment towards his son, Zuko. And now the same fate had befallen the princess.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**Okay so this chapter took me quite a while to write, but I hope you enjoyed it! I hope the Agni Kai wasn't too long...anyways, drop a review down below, it would make my day! Honestly, your reviews make me feel a thousand times more happy to write! **


	6. A Second Encounter

Chapter 6:

They were supposed to have been gone already. Katara grumbled as she tightened the packs that were strapped onto Appa's back. It had been hours since the crack of dawn, which was the time they had originally planned to depart from the Western Air temple.

The day started out as slow as a snail. Toph and Aang took an eternity to wake up, and when they did, they were sluggish and moved in slow-motion. Sokka, surprisingly, awoke before them. He was quite carefree, and didn't seem to mind whether or not they left in the morning or at night. The person who Katara was concerned with was Zuko. He arose early, and began to practice firebending.

"Zuko, why don't you help me get everyone ready?" Katara asked cautiously. "After all, we need to make sure we escape the Fire Nation. Your crazy sister is probably leading a whole fleet of airships here while we speak."

Zuko sent one last fireball whizzing through the air. "I can't explain it," he said, sounding slightly detached. "I really don't think we need to be in such a hurry. I don't feel like we're under a threat."

"And just what do you mean by that?" Katara's voice hardened. "Just the other day that darned Azula nearly killed all of us...she nearly killed _you_! And you're saying you want to stick around until the entire Fire Nation army comes around the corner to obliterate us all?"

Zuko sighed. "What I'm saying is...I don't think anything of the sort will happen. I feel like we're safe."

"What...?" Katara was exasperated.

"Never mind," Zuko brushed it off. "You wouldn't understand."

Katara glowered after him. She couldn't shake the feeling that Zuko still held allegiances to the Fire Nation. She was deeply concerned that he would turn around and stab their backs again, like he did in Ba Sing Se.

"Well it doesn't matter how you feel," Katara snapped. "We're leaving as soon as possible."

It took nearly an hour to wrap up camp and have everyone's belongings secured to Appa. Just when they were about to leave, they realized that Appa would not wake up. The giant sky bison snored loudly, and every once in a while his thick, heavy lids would lift...and then fall back down.

Katara nearly went mad.

"He's probably just extra-tired," Aang tried to reassure her. He yawned and looked like he was about to drop back to sleep.

"No!" Katara snapped. "Appa hasn't done anything that would cause him to be exhausted like this!"

"How would you know?" Aang murmured. "You don't have to carry a whole load of people every day, mile after mile."

Katara sighed. "It's just...I just want to get out of here, that's all!" Her glare fell onto Zuko, who was nonchalantly sitting at the edge of the saddle with his arms crossed. "Zuko," Katara began with a dangerous voice. "Would you happen to know if anything is wrong with Appa?"

Zuko looked at her seriously. "Let me guess. You think I led Azula to our location yesterday, you think I drugged Appa so that we cannot leave this temple, and you think I'm still a part of the Fire Nation," Zuko sat up straight. "I promise you, I have nothing to do with this! Azula pinpointing our location is just something that she's good at, and as for Appa's lethargy...well...I don't know! But I swear I'm on your side now."

Katara regarded him skeptically, but Toph seemed to believe. Aang yawned. "Whatever. Let's just go to sleep now."

"I hope Appa isn't sick," Sokka grumbled.

"Maybe it was something he ate," Toph leaned back to take a nap.

Katara's eyes widened as something clicked inside her brain. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Zuko carefully inquired.

"I was wondering why today felt a little...off," Katara explained. "First, Sokka woke up before Toph and Aang, who are both feeling tired and sleepy...am I right guys?" Both Toph and Aang yawned in response. "Toph, Aang and Appa were the only ones yesterday who ate the fruit that Aang brought back to us. The rest of us only ate squirrel-rabbits. It must have been something in the fruit that makes you sluggish."

"I told you I didn't do it," Zuko grumbled.

"Well that was great, Katara," Sokka shrugged. "But now the question remains...how do get out of here?"

"We can't," the waterbender said simply. "I hate to say this, but we're stuck here until Appa wakes up." Her brows clenched in worry. It was already afternoon, and they were hanging around like sitting ducks.

Zuko suddenly squinted his eyes at the sky. "Wait a minute...what's that?" He pointed to a faraway orb in the sky. "I've been seeing it for a while now, but I never really noticed it. It's getting closer."

The entire Gaang crowded onto one spot on the saddle, trying to inspect the foreign incoming object. Even Aang were a little more alert now (although Toph stayed in the same exact spot), as their curiosity was spiked.

As the orb floated closer and closer, one could see that it was a scarlet color.

"That...looks at bit like..." Sokka narrowed his eyes. "It's a Fire Nation airship!" he shouted.

"No way!" Toph exclaimed. "Can you be sure?"

"I'm positive! It has the Fire symbol right on its side!"

"Impossible," Zuko seemed shocked. "That's way too small. It's not really a threat to us..."

"Unless that ship is carrying scouts to make sure we're still here!" Katara snapped. The airship (which looked more like an air balloon) that was flying toward them was possibly less than one-tenth the size of the one Azula had taken yesterday. It bobbed unsteadily in the sky. Every once in a while, the balloon would dip downward. After falling for a couple of seconds, it would instantly float back up.

Zuko examined the ship closely, feeling uneasy. The airships needed a firebender to supply it with enough hot air in order for it to rise. It made him wonder if the firebender was not doing their job properly, or if there was a problem with the balloon that caused to not function.

The balloon was close enough so that the Gaang could distinctively see the dark flames emblazoned on the sides.

"What do we do?" Sokka asked, brandishing his boomerang. "Let me slice that thing open, and give them a nice fall down the cliff!"

"No Sokka," Aang said firmly.

"It doesn't matter," Zuko declared. "They're Fire Nation. They've surely seen us now, and we can't let them go back. At least, not until Appa wakes up and can whisk us away from here. But we must make sure that whoever is on that ship does not bring news of us back to Ozai, or worse, Azula."

"So you're saying we have to kill them?" Aang asked fearfully.

"No. But we have to keep them as prisoners until we are free to escape. Then we'll just let them go."

Aang nodded. "Alright."

The moment the airship was a few hundred feet away from them, Zuko mercilessly torched the balloon with fire. It caught, and the contraption almost immediately went up in flames. Just as the ship was about to fall, Toph extended a piece of earth from the side of the cliff to catch it. Aang and Katara then teamed up to use waterbending to wrap the ship in water and drag it into safety.

The smoking craft was not very large; only about twenty feet lengthwise.

"Quick, Toph!" Aang called. "Tell us how many people are on this ship!"

"Only one."

Aang created a huge gust of air that put out the rest of the smoldering mess. Katara engulfed herself in water and then delved in to retrieve the person of the Fire Nation. In the midst of it all, Katara suddenly stiffened, and then froze.

"Katara...are you okay?" Sokka asked.

Katara jumped out of the wreckage like her life depended on it. Her wide eyes filled with fury as she hissed, "It's _her_!"

The five of them warily edged toward the mass of the burnt airship. Suddenly, a soot covered hand shot out, startling them all. They watched in terror as the Fire Nation princess emerged from the wreckage.

Azula was completely disheveled. Her hair was untied, and instead of wearing her black or red armor, she had on a simple scarlet robe that hung loose over her frame. She staggered a bit as she exited, clutching her ribs. A stream of blood dripped down the side of her face.

Zuko, Toph, and Katara immediately fell into their bending forms. Aang readied his staff and Sokka bared his blade. "What do you want this time, Azula?" Zuko demanded.

"I've never piloted an airship on my own before," Azula's voice was unnaturally high, and lacked her usual sarcastic undertone. "Not bad for a first time, if I do say so myself. I was doing fine until somebody firebended at me."

Zuko glared at his sister. Azula stumbled a few unsteady steps forward, and the uptight avatar and his friends tensed up.

"Tell us, oh-great-Azula," Katara nearly spat. "Are you planning on taking on all of us by yourself?"

"No," the princess replied, seeming a little dazed. "Because I'm feeling...rather generous today." Then Azula's eyes slid to the back of her head and she toppled over, unconscious.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**Sorry if the beginning of this chapter sort of dragged. I just had to find a really good reason for the Gaang to still be hanging around the temple xD **


	7. What Should We Do?

Chapter 7:

Everyone's mouth dropped open. The last thing they expected was to have the Fire Nation princess collapse on her face right in front of them. After a few moments of baffled silence, Zuko stepped forward.

"Stop!" Sokka blurted. "It's a trap! She wants you to let your guard down and get close, and then the next thing you know, you'll be fried to a crisp!"

"Are you sure?" Zuko hesitated. "It doesn't seem that Azula would use such a demeaning trick."

"What are you talking about?" Sokka growled. "Your sister would be willing to do anything to kill us. Azula always lies."

"Toph?" Aang called. "Um...can you tell us if this is a trap or not?"

Toph scoffed. "Well if you're asking me to see whether or not her unconscious body is lying, you're out of luck."

"See?" Zuko murmured. "She really is hurt."

"No!" Sokka injected. "Azula has fooled Toph before, and she can do it again!"

Aang sighed. "Well we can't just stand around here forever."

Despite what Aang said, the Gaang still found themselves staring at Azula's body, marveling at what to do.

Katara narrowed her eyes at the princess, trying to determine if she was up to something. After all of the times Azula had deceived those she knew, Katara could not trust the princess, regardless of whether she was unconscious or not.

Then something caught her eye. The rocky ground which Azula was lying on had a strange red tint to it. Katara realized that it was lathered with dark blood.

"No," she said flatly. "Azula truly is injured. She's bleeding."

Zuko did not hesitate to dash over to his sister's side. He slid a hand under her stomach and gently flipped her over. Swallowing, Zuko realized that Azula was far too warm to the touch, and her robes were soaking wet. When he removed his hand, his palm was covered in sticky blood. Zuko began to feel a sense of panic rising in his chest.

"Could she have gotten hurt in the crash just now?" Aang wondered aloud.

With shaking hands, Zuko unfastened her sloppily tied belt and tore her robes open. His breath caught in his throat. Sokka dropped his boomerang, and Aang and Katara could not find the words to describe what they saw.

Azula's torso was completely painted with blood. The skin on both sides of her ribs and stomach looked as if they had been brutally torched, as if someone had blasted her with a jet of fire for an extremely long time. The ghastly burns continued onto her back, chest, and arms.

The most minor of her injuries consisted of bruises and blisters, small burns. The worst ones revealed tender tissue beneath the scorched layer of skin.

The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and Zuko nearly gagged.

"Oh...my goodness," Katara gasped.

It took Zuko a moment to realize that he had just stripped his sister right in front of everybody. "Er..." he hastily covered her torso with the robes.

"There's no way she could have gotten those injuries from the crash we just set up," Sokka exclaimed with shock.

"She didn't," Aang gulped. "Her clothes were still intact. That means she received those burns before she got here."

Zuko's face turned into grim disbelief. "There's only one firebender in the world strong enough to scar Azula like that."

"...What do you mean?" Katara inquired.

"Never mind. It's nothing," Zuko's expression was pained. "Anyways..." he looked around at the group, who still had not moved. They were hesitant. "Could someone help me out here?"

Sokka and Aang shifted slightly, but then Katara sighed, "Fine," and walked over to Appa to retrieve a blanket. She took Azula from Zuko and began to peel off Azula's clothing under the blanket. "Boys, why don't you go wash this in the fountain over there. Toph and I will tend to Azula."

Katara tossed the bloody articles of clothing to Sokka, Zuko, and Aang, who rushed off to do their job. Katara waterbended some water from the fountain into an empty bucket, and soaked a towel in it.

Toph sat down as Katara began to dab at Azula's broken body.

"So tell me," Toph spoke quietly. "How bad are her wounds? You know I can't see..."

Katara didn't answer, but Toph continued. "Are you going to heal her?"

"No." Katara replied impassively. "I'm not going to heal the person who has caused so much damage to the ones I love...I'll bandage her up, only because I can't let a person just die like this. Not even if it's the terrible princess of the Fire Nation." Her voice tightened. "I've always wanted Azula to suffer horribly, just as the Fire Nation made my family suffer," Katara smiled bitterly. "I guess I got what I wanted."

Azula moaned quietly, her faced twisted with pain. Katara was not gentle with her cleaning, and the rough towel scraped against Azula's burns. Katara felt a twinge of pity, but then shoved the feeling back down. She did not want to feel sorry for the person who had nearly killed her friends countless times.

During this time, the Aang was soaking Azula's robes in a suspended orb of water. Because the clothing was red, it disguised the fact that it was drenched in blood. Dark red liquid quickly began to color the sphere of water, and the three boys widened their eyes. Aang carefully bended the water so that the blood and dirt were wrung out.

Sokka was scowling. "Tell us again _why_ we're helping this witch?"

"Because she's my sister!" Zuko shot back.

"Yes, and your beloved sister nearly rid the world of the avatar, _forever_," Sokka countered.

"Do you expect me to just leave her here?" Zuko snapped.

"Do you want me to answer that question honestly?" Sokka grumbled.

"Okay, guys, that's enough," Aang interrupted. "We can't let Azula die, but that doesn't mean we're going to be her friends either. We'll just make sure she survives, and then drop her off near the Fire Nation or something."

"Aang!" Sokka protested. "We're talking about the girl who nearly killed you! You have every right to throw her off the cliff right now!"

"No," Aang sighed. "She may be our enemy, but we're not going to have her death on our hands."

"So whose hands should they be on? Tell me and I'll deliver her to them right now!" Sokka began to wildly swing his boomerang around.

"Stop it!" Zuko hissed. "Just stop talking!"

Sokka shot him a death glare. "And I'll bet you're happy to be reunited with your sister. Maybe one day she'll shoot _you_ in the back with lightning! Then we'll see how much you care about her!"

"That's it!" Zuko stood up abruptly.

Sokka recoiled, terrified that Zuko might attack him. Even Aang tensed up, ready for conflict to break loose. However, Zuko merely turned around and stalked toward the direction of Toph, Katara, and Azula.

Katara had just finished wrapping Azula's entire torso with soft white strips of cloth. She was forcefully tightening Azula's bandages, ignoring the unconscious princess's groans of pain.

Zuko cringed at his sister's treatment. "Do you think you can be a little gentler?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Why should she?" Toph answered flatly.

Katara gave the bandage one last yank. "Not killing her on the spot is considered gentle enough."

Zuko took a deep breath. "Well...thank you for taking care of her."

"Sure," the short answer came. Katara picked up the materials and stood up. "I'll leave Azula to you, Zuko."

"Um..." Zuko hesitated. "Could I ask one more favor of you, Katara?"

"What is it?"

"Azula doesn't have any clothes to wear...you and her are about the same size, so do you think you could let my sister borrow some of your clothes?"

Katara shot him a look. "Her clothes are just wet. I could waterbend the water out, or you could just use firebending to dry it. It's not that difficult..."

"No, that's not it," Zuko explained. "Her clothes are damaged beyond repair, especially her pants. She's going to need better things to wear..."

"I'm sorry Zuko," Katara shut her eyes. "I know you might think I'm acting cold, but...Azula has done so much wrong to so many people. Honestly, I can't even look at her without trying to hurt her. I can't stand helping someone who has attempted to murder my friends so many times. I just can't! Even a small act such as lending her my clothes symbolizes that I'm assisting her. Bandaging her wounds is the furthest I can go. I'm sorry."

Zuko clenched his teeth, trying not to yell. He could feel his frustration boiling in his core. How hard was it to lend someone an extra shirt or a pair of pants? Did Katara harbor such hatred that she could not perform such small insignificant tasks? It was somewhat understandable, considering all that Azula had put them through...He took deep breaths, willing himself not to erupt in anger. He had to remember that Azula was one of the Gaang's worst enemies, and Katara having to care for her was like choking down acid.

Finally, Zuko uttered through gritted teeth, "Fine. She'll just wear my clothes."

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**I apologize if I made Katara and Sokka jerks in this chapter. But let's be realistic here: After all that Azula has done to Team Avatar, I'd say that they have a VERY good reason to treat her..."less-than-nice." Anyways, reviews are greatly appreciated! **


	8. Unwelcome

Chapter 8:

Appa was finally awake, after several hours of lethargy. The bison stood up and shook himself awake, releasing a loud yawn.

"Finally!" Katara stood up. "Let's get going."

All of their things were packed, and the group just hopped back onto the saddle. Zuko tenderly picked up Azula and carried her while climbing up on Appa. Sokka appeared out of nowhere, holding a coil of rope.

"What's that for?" Zuko muttered.

"Sorry Zuko," Sokka said, not feeling sorry at all. "But we can't trust your sister not to try to kill us when she wakes up. We'll have to restrain her."

Zuko wanted to argue, but the tone in Sokka's voice told him there would be no point in doing that. He consented, and handed Azula over to the water tribe boy. Sokka quickly went to work; he bound Azula's feet together, and then her hands behind her back. After that he fastened the rope to the edge of the saddle. Zuko tried not to scowl as he positioned himself next to his sister.

Sokka ensured that the ropes were immovable, and then called out, "Let's go!"

Aang sat near Appa's head, holding the reins. "Yip yip!" The giant bison rose into the sky and they were off.

The ride was quiet with a small hint of tension. Azula's appearance seemed to have thrown everybody off balance. Aang was at a loss for words. Zuko certainly did not like Azula, but he was still her older brother, and he wanted to protect her. Katara and Sokka were both glaring at the unconscious princess with disdain, and Toph just looked plain uncomfortable.

Katara crossed her arms and bit her lip, wallowing in a sour mood. It made her feel sick to see somebody (even if it was Azula) in such a terrible state. What made her even more sick was that she secretly enjoyed it. Seeing the supposedly perfect Azula suffering and in pain brought a feeling akin to glee. As much as Katara hated feeling this way, there was nothing she could do to smother it. _Azula deserves what she got._ Katara told herself. _She finally gets burned, just as the Fire Nation has been burning everything else._

She tried not to feel pity every time Azula's face cringed in pain in her sleep. One minute she was flushed with fever, and the next she was so pale that veins could be seen on her neck. _She deserves it_, Katara said to herself. _She deserves it. _

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Hours passed by, and nightfall eventually came. Appa landed in a forest and the Gaang disembarked, setting up camp in a clearing.

"What do we do about Azula?" Toph asked.

"Just leave her where she is," Sokka answered, yawning. "She could just sleep in the saddle, tied up, and hazard-free."

"We're going to need to change her bandages," Zuko pointed out. He quickly glanced at Katara.

Katara sighed. Being the only girl (who can actually see), Katara was stuck caring for the princess. It was like a knife in the throat. Katara clambered up the saddle to where Azula was lying on her side.

Zuko had lent Azula his robes and baggy pants. The robes were so big and loose on her that they sagged over one shoulder. Katara couldn't help but marvel at how the princess had transformed in her appearance. The formidable-looking armor that she usually wore made her frame broader, and more intimidating. Without the armor and characteristic hairstyle, Azula looked like a normal girl with a slim physique.

Katara slipped Zuko's robes off of Azula, pushing them down her arms (She couldn't take them off completely, for Azula's hands were tied together). She began to slowly unwrap the cloth bandages. The outer layers were fairly clean, but the inner ones were nearly soaked through with blood. Katara proceeded to clean the wounds again with a wet towel. The burns were dark red, hot to the touch, and seeping blood here and there.

As she sponged up the wounds, Azula began to stir. Katara assumed that her body was reacting to the pain from the cleaning, but then Azula's eyelids began to twitch.

_Oh great._ Katara thought. _Out of all the times to have her awaken, she's topless and being cared for by me. _

"Guys..." Katara sounded slightly exasperated. "I think Azula's waking up."

Azula's brain was fuzzier than Appa. She could feel consciousness seeping slowly into her. Part of her wanted to ward it away, and spend another eternity in the blackness...but another part, her pride, commanded her to welcome it. Her pride won over, and Azula began to regain her senses.

She was vaguely aware that she was being propped up in a sitting position. Someone was holding her and dragging something on her skin that caused excruciating pain. The more awake she became, the more she could feel the pain; every bruise, break, and burn. Her torso felt like it was still on fire...the memory of what had happened earlier that day caused Azula to swallow back an ache in her throat.

Azula's eyelids fluttered open and shut as her body battled with unconsciousness. She heard a faraway moan, and it took her a few seconds to realize that it had come from her. As her blurry vision settled in, Azula could see a hazy image of a brown-haired girl looking down at her.

"Well, look who's back from dreamland," Katara declared icily.

Azula stared back with glazed and confused eyes, and groaned again. When her vision finally sharpened and her brain processed the information, Azula realized just who the girl in front of her was.

"Oh. It's you," she said simply.

"Yes. It's me," Katara shot back.

Azula's head throbbed so badly. She wanted to touch her temples with her hands, but found that she couldn't. Tight bonds were secured around her wrists, as well as her ankles.

"Release me," Azula did her best to sound commanding, but it came out as a harsh wheeze.

"No," Katara glared. "I would love to leave you to die here, but it seems that my friends are more merciful than I." She began to wrap Azula up in bandages.

That was when Azula realized she was completely topless in front of the peasant. She growled internally. _This is so humiliating._

"I don't need your help, _peasant_," Azula snarled softly.

"Whatever you say, your highness," Katara cruelly yanked on the bandages as hard as she could, squeezing Azula's tender flesh. Azula gasped with pain and slumped over, taking shallow, shuddering breaths.

Katara was far too angry to feel sorry for what she just did. She continued to nonchalantly wrap up the shaking princess, and then sloppily threw Zuko's robes back on her.

When Azula was decent, Zuko, Aang, Toph, and Sokka climbed onto the saddle.

Azula, from her slouched position, realized that there were now five pairs of eyes on her. She was in too much pain to try to sound sarcastic or intimidating. Her eyes widened when she saw that both Zuko and the Avatar were present. Azula carefully averted her brother's eyes.

"Why did you come here?" Toph demanded.

Azula didn't answer.

"Why did you come alone?" Zuko said, a little softer. Azula clenched her teeth.

"And who gave you all those burns?" Sokka blurted out tactlessly. "What in the world could possibly scar the great Azula for the rest of her life?"

"Sokka!" Zuko barked.

The memories of the Agni Kai with her father came harshly crashing down on her. Azula could feel tears of anger, hurt, and frustration build up in her eyes. However, she could not, and would not let everyone see her cry. Azula looked down and willed her tears to withdraw.

Everyone (except Toph) saw the look in Azula's eyes when Sokka asked her the question. The princess looked mortified, and for a split second, Sokka and Katara actually felt sorry for her.

"I think we should wait another time to question her," Aang said carefully. "Azula needs her rest."

"I agree," Zuko sighed.

Azula was about to argue, saying that she didn't need anyone's help. But her body betrayed her. Her wounds, coupled with her father's brutal punishment combined to form a physically and mentally exhausted Azula.

She lay her head down and slipped into unconsciousness before anyone even left the saddle.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**I will update at LEAST once a week! I'm under some stress right now, but I will try to keep the chapters coming out! If you guys have any requests for something that you want to happen in this story, I'll see if I can make it happen. And please review, I love reading them! ^.^**


	9. Banished

**So I have a little question...In the actual series on the Day of the Black Sun, where are Mai and Ty Lee? I mean Azula is on her own with two Dai Lee agents, but Mai and Ty Lee would have made great bodyguards as well...**

Chapter 9:

_Ozai pointed both of his fists at her. Twin jets of fire simultaneously erupted from his hands and slammed into both of Azula's sides. She tried with no avail to hold back a scream of anguish and horror. The fire scorched her skin, melted into her flesh, and licked its way across her torso. Azula tumbled into an abyss of sheer agony. _

_She didn't even realize when her father stopped burning her. Azula lay on her back, moaning and swallowing back sobs. She could vaguely hear the crowd exclaiming at the top of its lungs. Two shadows appeared next to her, and one of them draped a red robe over her body. Azula comprehended that her shirt had been reduced to ashes long ago. _

_"What are you two doing here?" she heard her father snarl. "Get out!" _

_"Please, Lord Ozai!" a familiar voice begged. "Don't hurt her anymore!" _

_"Out of my way, girl!" the Fire Lord hissed. Azula gazed up blearily and saw Ozai looking down at her fiercely. "I hope you have learned a lesson about failure, and disobeying me," he growled. "Due to your defiance, I will not allow you to come back home until you have properly gotten rid of the avatar as well as your brother!"  
_

_Azula felt herself choke at the words. _Could it possibly be?

_Before she could respond, she felt her arms being grabbed from both sides. She was being hoisted up by two people. Azula was hastily dragged through the crowds that parted straight down the middle in order to let her out. She struggled not to look into the eyes of the people who had witnessed her humiliating and brutal punishment. Just yesterday they had feared her. And now, they were merely shocked to the core. _

_The two individuals holding Azula began to quicken their pace. Azula felt her head loll as blackness threatened to overtake her. Before she knew it, the doors to her room were shoved open, and she was gently laid on top of her soft bed._

_"Azula!" A high-pitched voice gasped. "Oh, Azula!" _

_Azula opened her eyes and saw Mai and Ty Lee staring at her. Ty Lee was reduced to tears, while Mai's usual bored expression had turned into one of dismay. Azula felt a terrible emotion begin to build up in her throat. Ty Lee reached down and dabbed her eyes with a towel. That was when Azula realized streaks of tears were streaming down her face. She struggled to get back in control._

_"Mai...Ty Lee..." Azula weakly croaked. _

_"Mai, send for a nurse immediately!" _

_"...No," Azula's voice shook. "Ty Lee, I just want to be alone." _

_Ty Lee shook her head vigorously. "No, Azula! You must be taken care of immediately!" _

_When Azula's nurses came a few minutes later, they expelled all visitors from her room. When Mai and Ty Lee reluctantly left, Azula turned to the servants and nurses. _

_"Get out! All of you!" _

_They looked back at her, stunned. "But princess, I insist..." _

_"If you wish to keep your lives, GET OUT!" Azula mustered all of her strength into generating blue flames that dashed around the room. _

_The terrified servants scrambled out, but Azula did not take pleasure in seeing their fear. It no longer seemed to matter. All that mattered was that she had been banished. _

_Banished! _

_The word repeated itself over and over in her head. _No_, Azula snapped to herself. This is not a banishment. It's simply a mission that my father sent me on. I cannot return home until I have rid the world of Zuko and the avatar. She clenched her teeth. _

_Without wasting another minute, Azula bolted up from her bed and opened her window. Using a steady jet of fire, Azula propelled herself into the air, speeding toward the area where the airships lay. She flew impulsively, half delirious and crazed from pain. She must find the avatar and her brother. _

_She must regain her honor. _

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Azula awoke with a gasp. Sunlight shone in her face, which was pressed against something very furry. The pain she felt in the dream corresponded with the pain that she began to feel creeping into her body. She lay there for a few seconds, shuddering at the recent memories.

A breeze traveled through the air, making her cheeks feel unnaturally cold. Wet tears left tracks on her face. Azula immediately tried to wipe them away, forgetting that her hands were bound behind her back. She resorted to awkwardly wiping her face on the mat of fur that she was lying in.

_Humph_, Azula inwardly sneered. I could easily burn through this rope and make an escape. But common sense got the better of her. In her current condition, there was no way she could even make it a couple steps. Pressing her lips together grimly, Azula found herself speculating about how in the world she managed to pilot that air balloon by herself.

Azula closed her eyes, sucking in deep breaths and trying to keep the pain from consuming her. An eternity passed, and yet Azula's headache did not seem to want to go away, and neither did the raw throbbing of her skin. She sighed and shifted uncomfortably. As she moved, the ground beneath her seemed to shake and rumble.

She hadn't noticed it before, but the ground she was lying on was very, very warm. Azula had blamed it on her fever, but now she realized that the heat was not coming from inside of her, but from the outside.

It couldn't be.

The avatar's bison yawned, letting out a deep, throaty noise. A small yelp escaped Azula's lips.

"Oh come on now. Don't tell me you're afraid of a big fuzzy ball like Appa," a haughty voice came.

Azula felt a scowl making its way onto her face. She couldn't see who the speaker was, but she could hazard a guess. The water tribe boy sauntered over to her, looking dominant and cocky. It made her want to burn his face off. Sokka saw the look on her face and became slightly annoyed.

"Hey, I'm not exactly happy to be here either. Aang is training with Toph and Zuko, Katara's making sure they don't get into trouble, and I get to be stuck with babysitting you."

"Well then we'd both be happy if you'd just leave," Azula hissed.

"I have no other choice, so why don't you just sit there and shut up," Sokka said, with a superior tone in his voice.

Azula felt her anger spike. "I do not take orders from a peasant!" She tried to sit up, and was delivered an agonizing amount of searing pain. The throbbing ache shot from her head, ribs, and stomach. The world began to spin, and Azula promptly collapsed back onto Appa's back.

Sokka stared for a couple of moments. He wasn't sure what he should do. Seeing Azula try to sit up and then pass out was pretty funny, just as much as it wasn't. Sokka hopped onto the saddle and gingerly approached the princess. Her breathing was shallow, her eyes squeezed shut tightly.

Pushing back all his other thoughts, Sokka carefully reached a hand forward and brushed it against Azula's forehead, checking her temperature. Her skin was hot and clammy. Just then, the princess began to stir again, and Sokka quickly retrieved his hand and sat back.

Azula's slowly blinked herself awake. She noted that Sokka, one of her enemies, was sitting right in front of her, but was too dizzy to care.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, and you better answer," Sokka crossed his arms.

"Don't order me around, peasant," Azula snarled softly.

"So tell me," Sokka frowned. "Why did you come here all by yourself? Where's the weird acrobat girl or knife-throwing one?"

"I don't think I care to tell you," Azula whispered harshly.

"Look, you were the one who came crashing into our group. I'd say you owe us an explanation."

"If you think I'm going to tell you anything, then you're out of luck, _peasant._"

"Well the fact that you're in our midst can't be good news..."

Azula smirked at this.

"...Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slit your throat as we speak," Sokka pushed as much threat into his voice as possible.

"I don't have a reason," Azula shrugged. "Go ahead and do it. Kill me now."

Sokka was taken aback. He should have known that Azula would not be fazed by such empty threats. But he wanted to make sure she knew he wasn't joking around. In one fluid movement, the edge of his boomerang was pressing against her throat. "I meant what I said about killing you."

"Do it." Azula's voice was low, chilling, almost. Sokka stared into her deep golden orbs, expecting to see deception and trickery. Instead, he saw a storm of emotions; confusion, defiance, and...fear?

Sokka lowered the weapon. Azula did not avert her eyes.

"I knew you didn't have the guts to end it," she declared.

In less than a second, Sokka sprung up and grabbed her by the shoulders. Azula winced horribly as his rough hands pressed against the burns that had traveled up there.

"Listen up!" Sokka snapped. "I simply spared your life because I couldn't stand killing a weak, wounded, and defenseless girl!" He ignored Azula's murderous glare. "But if you so much as take a step toward endangering any of my friends, your head will be rolling on the ground before you know it!"

"You wouldn't be able to kill me even if you wanted to," Azula retorted.

Sokka squeezed her harder, causing the princess to gasp. "We'll see about that."

He released her, and Azula tried not to show too much relief. The water tribe boy stalked away, sulking, and Azula wearily lay her head down.

**OoOoOoOoOo **

**Nothing much to say, except review, review, review! ...Pretty please? **


	10. The First Step

**WOW! Thank you all for 100 reviews! I'm so happy =D Honestly I love you all...thank you for your support...and keep it up! **

**Also...for a certain reviewer named "Guest", I really wish you would log in and make a signed review...I would like to talk to you!**

Chapter 10:

Azula felt terrible. Fever and pain raged within her body. She lay there in a heap of discomfort with her hands awkwardly tied back. Azula was about ready to beg someone to untie her, to make her more comfortable, but she commanded herself not to ask for help from the enemy; the avatar, her traitor of a brother, and all of those filthy peasants.

It was about mid afternoon before Zuko came to her with some water. It was then that Azula realized just how parched she was.

"You haven't had anything to eat or drink," he said casually. He held the water to her mouth, but Azula turned away.

_I'm not going to be put in such a humbling position._ "Untie me, so I can drink it myself," she stated.

Zuko sighed. "Sorry, Azula, but I'm afraid I can't do that. None of us can trust you, so you're just going to have to deal with it."

Azula sent him a venomous stare.

"Do you want water or not?"

Azula nodded slowly, and Zuko held the flask to her mouth. She swallowed every gulp, not stopping until the flask was drained. Zuko looked mildly surprised.

"...Tell me if there's anything you need..." Zuko hesitated.

Azula scoffed. "Like I really would," she said sarcastically.

Zuko felt slightly better, knowing that his sister could still be snide to him. He left her alone, aware that she would not want to be in his presence any longer.

At dinner that night, Azula rejected the food that was offered to her. The Gaang rolled their eyes, thinking that it was because of her pride. But in truth, Azula did not feel like eating. The thought of food made her stomach turn over.

In an hour or so, everyone had fallen asleep. Azula could feel the darkness beginning to overtake her, but then someone roughly shook her shoulders. She squinted her eyes in the dark, seeing a shadow loom over her.

"What do you want?" Azula asked, annoyed. All she wanted was just to get some rest.

"_Tell me why you're here!_" Katara whispered.

"I don't think it's any of your business," Azula hissed.

"Of course it's my business!" Katara exclaimed. "You practically crash landed into our group, and I want to know what you're doing here!"

Azula hesitated. There was no way she could tell this darned girl the truth. In fact, Azula wasn't sure if she knew the truth herself. But she had to make up a quick answer, somehow. "Are you really that stupid?" Azula purred. "What do you think the Fire Nation princess would be doing here? Surely, it's not so that I can spend time with you."

Seeing Katara's instant enraged expression made Azula feel a bit better. "Why you...!"

"And if you hate me so much, why don't you just do yourself a favor and kill me now?"

"Because I'm not as despicable as you are!" Katara spat. "I don't take advantage of other people's weaknesses, and I don't kill just for the fun of it!"

"I don't kill for fun," Azula muttered. "I kill whoever my father commands me to."

"In other words, you're just a puppet on strings," Katara sneered. A strange look crossed over Azula's face. The princess looked mildly horrified, and Katara felt a spark of triumph for irking the princess.

Azula felt a deluge of emotions that would fill her every time she thought about her father. It angered her that the water tribe girl brought up such an outrageous notion. In a fit of rage, Azula snarled, "Don't try to tell me what I am, you filthy vermin!"

A bolt of fury struck Katara. She roughly grabbed a fistful of Azula's hair and yanked it back. Azula gasped with surprise and stared into Katara's face, which was visibly reddening, even in the dark.

"Let me get this straight," Katara spoke in a low voice. "You are powerless at the moment. Angering me is the last thing you want to do!" Katara glared into the eyes of her enemy, the person who had done her so much wrong.

"Oh please. You're mistaken if you think I am afraid of you," Azula glowered. Katara's grip on her hair tightened, and Azula bit her lip.

"I know why you're here," Katara said through clenched teeth. "You're here to kill Aang."

"Well, what do you know? It seems like the dirty peasant girl knows something after all."

Katara instantly pulled her hand back and struck Azula across the face. Azula's eyes widened with shock and pain. A thin stream of blood rolled down the side of her mouth, and she glowered at Katara with hatred-filled eyes. Katara looked at her hand, which had a small bit of Azula's blood on it. She hastily wiped it off and stormed away from the princess, feeling shocked and appalled at herself.

That night, Katara could not fall asleep. She quietly slipped out of their camp and strolled into the trees, trying to gather all of her thoughts and sort them out.

Katara felt guilt and regret bubbling up inside of her. She had hurt someone who was terribly wounded, tied up, and defenseless. What kind of person did that make her? Katara stalked around in the dark forest, sulking. _This is Azula we're talking about_, she told herself. _What has she done that would be deserving of gentleness and mercy?_

As much as she tried to defend herself, Katara could not justify her actions. She was the type of person who helped others in need. She did not turn her back on people, regardless of their nationality, race, or anything like that.

However...Katara grimaced, thinking about all of the times that she had wished Azula dead. Now the princess of the Fire Nation was vulnerable, in their hands, and they had complete control over her. It was difficult not to end her life right then and there, but Katara knew that she would never muster up the courage or cruelty required to do that.

Katara inwardly battled herself. Morally, she knew that she wanted to nurse Azula back to health. But her common sense screamed at her. When Azula was healthy, who's to say she wouldn't attack them? What would stop her from trying to take Aang's life again, and all of their lives, for that matter.

_But maybe...just maybe_...Katara wanted to shrug off the thought, thinking it was ridiculous. _Maybe we can get Azula to come onto our side. By showing her mercy, she might do the same to us, regardless of whether she returns to the Fire Nation or not_. Katara did not want to get her hopes up. But letting Azula die was not an option. The bottom line was that she would never be able to live with letting someone lose their life, even if it was the terrible, terrible Azula.

At last, Katara relented. She hastily made her way back to camp and walked over to where Azula was lying. Grabbing her arm, she yanked the princess to a sitting position.

Azula gasped with pain and surprise. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

Katara had a scowl on her face. "Something I can't believe I'm doing..." she muttered. _  
_

"What?" Azula growled. "Unhand me at once, peasant!"

"Keep up with the attitude, and you'll regret it," Katara threatened. She fumbled with Azula's (Zuko's) robes and opened them up.

"Put it back on!" Azula felt disgraced. Katara ignored her, pushed the clothing down the sides of her arms, and began working on unwrapping the bandages. Azula felt a snarl bubbling up in her throat as she was stripped by a filthy peasant girl.

"What are you going to do?" she asked in a low, dangerous tone.

"Something that I'm going to wish I never did," Katara snapped back.

Azula felt her sensitive wounds being exposed to the air, and the stinging sensation began to grow. She grimaced. The water tribe girl had just changed her bandages, why was she taking them off so soon? Azula was worried the peasant had something nasty in store for her.

Katara smoothly engulfed her hands in water and pressed the liquid to Azula's body.

"W-What's this...?" Azula sputtered, confused.

"Just shut up."

Azula was about to become annoyed, but then a tingling feeling began to spread wherever Katara's water went. She felt her hot wounds being soothed, cooled and relieved. The pain ebbed away, very slightly. Katara slid her hands around, her eyebrows pinched together in concentration. The healing water went from Azula's stomach, to her chest, shoulders, and back.

Azula found herself involuntarily sighing in gratification. Her red, blistered skin began to close up.

Suddenly, Katara sucked the water away from her skin and returned it to the river nearby. Azula couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"I think that's enough for now," Katara began wrapping Azula up in fresh bandages. "No matter what I do, however, you'll have scars for the rest of your life. You know that."

"I didn't ask for your help..." Azula swallowed.

"You're welcome," Katara said flatly. She closed up Azula's robes, and left the tied-up princess to her own thoughts.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**Let me make something clear...there will be no Zucest in this story...sorry, but that concept sort of weirds me out! Azula and Zuko will have a brother/sister relationship...no further! =) Oh, and my story is mainly friendship/family themes, not necessarily romance. **


	11. Suspicions

Chapter 11:

The first rays of sunlight were just peeking through the trees when Zuko awoke to warm up his firebending. Like most firebenders, he arose with the sun. This morning, his thoughts were all centered around Azula. He was slightly surprised, however, because every other time he thought of her, he was filled with jealousy, resentment, and even some contempt. This was different. Zuko felt concerned about his sister, which was a new a foreign feeling for him. As far as he had known, Azula never required any assistance; she was strong and decisive, and Zuko could not imagine her ever being helpless.

Yet here she was, as helpless as can be. Zuko had a notion that he was the only one in the group who truly cared for her. He knew that Aang would never let Azula's condition worsen, but that did not mean that he accepted her. Zuko was also very well aware of the rest of the Gaang's disdain for Azula.

In the middle of his stretches, he heard a small sob. Astonished, Zuko turned toward the sound and saw Azula's curled up figure shifting. He silently made his way up the saddle where she lay and peered over the edge.

Two thin streams of tears rolled down the sides of Azula's face. Zuko's mouth opened slowly. He could not remember the last time he had seen Azula cry. He had always thought of her as strong, even throughout the pressures that had been imposed upon her in her life.

Something clenched within Zuko's stomach. Seeing his own sister in pain distressed him to a far extent. He supposed that her suffering was caused by her wounds. Bearing ghastly burns like that would no doubt cause someone to break down into tears, no matter how mighty people thought they were.

But something in the back of Zuko's mind told him that Azula was shedding tears over something more than just her physical injuries. It took a lot to break Azula down, and Zuko had a strong notion of what, or who that could be. He did not want to make any assumptions, however. If what he suspected turned out to be true, then Azula would be in a whole world of mental anguish.

Zuko stared down at his sister. Her eyes were shut tightly, and she was fast asleep. The salty liquid continued to stream down her face, and once in a while, a small sob would escape her lips. When Zuko could not stand seeing her tears anymore, he reached out a tender hand and gently wiped them off. Her skin was searing hot beneath his touch, and she shivered and shrunk away, like a scared child.

Zuko was baffled. It seemed that Azula was a completely different person in her sleep. She was shy, timid, and miserable.

But then Zuko quickly reminded himself of who he was dealing with. _No, she's anything but shy and timid. She's Azula. She's calm, cold, calculating, and deceitful. If you're not careful, you'll get trapped in her claws and perish._ He swallowed. _She's still my sister, and she needs my help. I have to take care of her. _

Zuko breathed out. He must find out what truly happened to his sister. She may not want to admit it to the the rest of the Gaang, but Zuko felt that he had to make an attempt to draw out the truth from Azula.

_This is the perfect chance,_ Zuko thought. _No one else is awake yet to eavesdrop. This may be one of the few times I can try to get Azula to tell me what happened to her. Who could have hurt her in this way? _

He put a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her awake. Zuko felt slightly guilty disturbing her rest like this, considering the fact that she needed all the sleep she could get. On the other hand, the truth really needed to come out, and Zuko was determined to learn it. Besides, as soon as she told him, she could just fall back asleep again. He shook Azula a few more times, not too roughly, but earnestly.

Azula's eyelids fluttered a few times, and then fell shut again.

"Azula," Zuko said in a low voice. She moaned quietly. He grabbed each of her shoulders and hoisted her up to a sitting position. Azula slumped in his hands, but Zuko could feel wakefulness beginning to make its way into her body.

"Azula." Her head lolled slightly as she struggled to open her groggy eyes. "Azula wake up."

"...Ugh..." Azula mumbled. She blinked herself to consciousness with great difficulty. Her eyelids felt like a ton of metal, and her mind was so hazy she could hardly process any information.

"Look at me, Azula," a deep voice floated lazily to her ears. She found that it was familiar, but she wanted to badly to drop back to sleep that she ignored it the first several times. And then suddenly, a sense of alarm shot through her. She recognized the voice, or at least she thought she did. In her foggy brain, Azula was almost positive that the voice belonged to...

"F-father...?" she croaked out.

"No, it's me, Zuko," the image of her brother became clearer.

Azula felt stunned for a moment. Zuko, for a moment there, sounded a lot like Ozai. She didn't know whether to be impressed or scared.

"What do you want, Zuzu?" her voice was raspy.

"Look, I'm sorry for waking you up like this. But I just need to know the truth. The sooner you tell me, the sooner I'll let you go back to sleep." Zuko wanted to sound soothing yet firm at the same time.

Azula gave an airy chuckle. "You can't tell me what to do."

Zuko gave her shoulders a shake and Azula gritted her teeth. "Please. I know we haven't exactly been friendly to each other, but I would like to know what kind of monster could have possibly hurt you like that."

"Oh please. Don't try to sound like you care," Azula averted her eyes.

"I do care."

"It's not like it's your business anyway."

Zuko sighed and awkwardly rubbed his hands up and down Azula shoulders in an attempt to show his genuine concern. He only succeeded in making his sister glare even more. "Of course it's my business," Zuko chose his words carefully. "You're my sister, and..."

"Since when has that ever meant anything to you?" Azula scoffed, interrupting him.

Biting back a scowl, Zuko replied, "Well it does now."

Azula rolled her eyes. "Why should I tell you anything?"

Zuko realized that even in her half-asleep state, Azula still had the ability to be extremely and aggravatingly stubborn. He tried a different approach. "I'd be pretty worried to know that there's something out there powerful enough to put all those injuries on you. I never thought that you would meet your match one day. Something, or someone like that has got to be pretty dangerous. If you told me who or what did that to you, we could get put an end to this creature. You'd get your chance for revenge, and the world would be rid of this threat."

Zuko could see something change in Azula's eyes. He wasn't sure if he succeeded in persuading her to spit out the truth or not. Her golden orbs became dull, and she cast her eyes down to her feet. Zuko scrunched his brows at his sister worriedly.

He added, "Please, Azula. Please tell me."

Azula swallowed several times, her jaw clenching and her expression pained. Zuko put his arm around her and she flinched. He could tell she would've shrugged him off if she wasn't restrained to Appa's saddle.

"Who did this to you?" he whispered softly.

Azula was visibly disturbed. Zuko hesitated. Maybe he should have waited a bit longer before interrogating her in this manner. But how could he? Zuko felt that he would be driven mad if he did not know the truth right away. Azula had received terrible wounds from a very powerful being, and Zuko had a feeling that he knew who had done it.

"I'm not telling you," Azula spat. "Now go away."

Zuko tightened his grip on Azula's shoulder. He looked at her straight in the eye, and Azula would not back down. She stared back. Zuko saw a flood of emotions whirling around in her intense, amber orbs. He no longer saw calmness and sureness, but rather, angst and turmoil.

"Azula..." Zuko battled against himself about whether or not to say it. His reckless side took over and the words slipped right out of his mouth. "Did our father do this?"

Azula stiffened. Her breath caught in her throat as Zuko hit the nail on the head. She could feel a lump in her throat beginning to form, along with a whirlpool of emotions that she had been struggling to banish from her system.

When Azula spoke, she surprised herself at how steady she sounded. Steady, yet lacking her characteristic sarcastic and cunning undertone. "No. My father loves me. He would never do such a thing."

For once, Zuko could tell that it was an outright lie.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**This chapter took me FOREVER to write, mainly because I've been battling a strange spell of stress. I'm just getting over it, and hopefully will get more motivated to do writing! Feel free to send me ideas for this story! **


	12. A New Turn of Events

**The graphic novel "Avatar the Last Airbender: The Search" comes out on March 20! I'm so excited! The story will revolve around Zuko and Azula...how perfect! I cannot wait!**

Chapter 12:

Azula was angry. Angry and bitter. It felt like every minute of the day was filled with resentment, though toward whom or what she could not quite place.

She detested the fact that she was in the midst of a load of enemies. Enemies of her father, and enemies of the Fire Nation. Her pathetic brother was there to witness her weaknesses, as well as a whole group of filthy peasants. The darned Avatar was there, and she could not even lay a finger on him due to her injuries.

Azula felt regret for not killing Zuko when she had the chance. She regretted not stopping him on the Day of the Black Sun, when he had made his escape from the Fire nation. She regretted not shooting the avatar a second time with lightning back in Ba Sing Se, just to ensure that he was dead.

_If only I had done it,_ Azula ground her teeth. _If only I had not let father down._

Every time the water tribe girl changed her bandages, Azula wanted to close her eyes. She did not want to look into the blue eyes of the wench that glared at her with loathe. More importantly, she did not want to get an eyeful of the terrible, ghastly red scars that marked her torso in angry, jagged streaks. Her father, Ozai, had scarred her for life. Not only that, but he had _banished _her until she completed her duty of killing Zuko and the avatar.

_I am on the same level as Zuko_, Azula thought to herself with horror. _No, I'm even lower than him!_ Zuko had received a burn on the face and was banished until he returned with the avatar. Azula was dealt burns that were ten times the volume, and was banished until she returned with the avatar _and_ Zuko. The more those thoughts circled around in her head, the sicker and sicker she felt.

_Stop it!_ Azula snapped to herself. _Stop thinking such ridiculous thoughts!_ She told herself that Ozai had punished her accordingly, and that his actions were justified. She deserved the burns, for she had brought it upon herself due to her weaknesses.

_I wish father hadn't done that to me_, Azula constantly felt an ache rising in her throat. Furious, she tried to smother it, and push it down. But every time her thoughts strayed to the Agni Kai that had taken place a few days ago, raw emotion would begin to bubble up in her throat. What made it worse was the her stupid brother suspected the truth.

Azula was lay there on the saddle of the bison, tied up in a pit of misery. She knew when she was not welcome, and swore that when she was healthy enough, she would escape and then come back later to take the lives of Zuko and the avatar. _Only then will father take me back._

**OoOoOoOoOo**

It was pitch black, in the middle of the night. Azula felt herself being wrenched out of sleep, and a sense of alarm prickled her spine. Rustling noises made its way to her ear. Azula became more alert as it dawned on her that there was a large group of people rapidly approaching the camp.

"Everyone wake up!" Toph's voice penetrated the air. "We're being surrounded," she heard the girl cursing quietly about how she had not detected it earlier.

Azula painfully managed to sit up in the darkness. She squinted her eyes, and saw vague dark shapes moving around them.

"Who is it?" Katara whispered.

"I don't know," Toph replied. "A whole group of armored people...about thirty of them!"

By now the Gaang was up and about, getting into fighting stances. Zuko created a ball of fire which he suspended in the air to light up the clearing. Immediately, the Gaang saw a horde of people encircling them, clad in dark metal plates. They wielded a large range of weapons from spears, to swords, to bows.

"Who are you?" Sokka demanded. The group of people did not have any identifying crests or emblems, nor did they wear any uniform. Their outfits looked like they were hastily thrown together, as if the individuals grabbed whatever they could find and wore it.

"Hand over all your valuables, and we just might let you live," one of the men in front growled.

"Not happening," Zuko retorted. He blasted a fireball at the man, but a sturdy wall of earth shot up from the ground and deflected it.

"They're earthbenders!" Toph exclaimed. "I'll take them!" She shifted the ground beneath the feet of the assembly of people, causing them to lose balance. Some of the men sent bulky boulders flying at her, and Toph smashed them to bits with ease.

Katara summoned water from the river nearby and enveloped the ankles and feet of the people, freezing them to the ground. Much to her surprise, however, the water instantly turned to liquid.

"There's a waterbender here as well?" she gasped. On cue, blades of ice whizzed through the trees. Katara narrowly dodged them but received shallow cuts on the shoulder.

The band of thieves attacked all at once. They launched their spears and knives, and Aang thwarted their path with a powerful blast of air. In moments, the enemies were on top of them. Katara battled relentlessly with a waterbender and Toph with the earthbenders. Zuko, Aang, and Sokka were preoccupied with the rest of them. Shouts rang through the air, and bodies went flying as Toph displayed her earthbending prowess.

Suddenly, heavy metal chains shot through the air and draped over Appa's body. The sky bison roared with frustration and attempted to take off, but the bonds held him fast.

"Appa!" Aang yelled.

"We'll make loads of money for selling this big guy," one of the thieves snickered.

"Azula's still on there!" Zuko called out.

The expression of the man in front of him turned into curiosity. "...Azula? Could it possibly be...?"

Azula heard the chains thudding heavily on the saddle as the bison beneath her shifted and roared. She could feel the large animal trying to lift itself off the ground, but with no avail. Shouts came from the men, and more chains snaked around the furry beast.

_Damn it!_ Azula thought. _I need to get out of here...quick!_ She gathered up her scanty amount of strength and scorched her way through the ropes that bound her. The blackened coils fell from her ankles and wrists, and Azula was free for the first time in days.

When the army of thieves saw bright blue fire erupting into the air, their jaws dropped open. There was only one firebender in the entire world who was able to generate those characteristic flames.

"It's the Fire Nation Princess!" they hollered with excitement adorning every word. "Get her! I'm sure the Fire Lord will pay a heavy ransom to get his dear daughter back!"

Azula snarled. _Just who do those scumbags think they are? _She clambered out of the saddle, through the gap between the chains, and then slid down Appa's side. Her feet touched the ground, but instead of stopping there, the rest of her body followed as her legs completely collapsed beneath her. Azula bit back a curse as bolts of pain shot throughout her body.

Zuko saw his sister's flames, and knew that she was trying to make an escape. In his moment of distraction, a solid piece of rock struck him in the chest. Zuko was thrown back against a tree, and his head violently snapped back against the thick trunk. His vision blurred for a moment, and Zuko sagged, dazed.

Meanwhile, Sokka was slashing and hacking vigorously at the warriors in front of him. His boomerang flashed back and forth. Sokka's skills as a fighter was only slightly above average, and it wasn't long before he found himself struggling. The thieves cornered him, and one of the men slammed a heavy ax upon his boomerang. The two blades clashed, and Sokka was forced to his knees. The others took advantage of this and jammed his boot into Sokka's ribs. The water tribe boy gasped and crumpled to the ground.

A brawny man grabbed Sokka by the arm and hoisted him up on his shoulders. He turned and jogged into the shadows of the trees.

"Where do you think you're taking him?" Katara screeched. She bolted in the direction that Sokka was being carried.

"Katara!" Aang called. He thought about going after her, but Appa's earth-shaking growl stopped him in his tracks. The bison was being roughly tied up by steel chains. The earthbenders created waves on the rocky ground the rapidly transported Appa far away.

"Toph, I'm going to save Appa," Aang announced. He snapped open his glider and took off.

"I'll handle things here," Toph yelled after him. She punched her fists in the air, summoning jagged pillars of stone to impale the attackers.

Zuko slowly hoisted himself up. His head spun, and he felt disoriented. In the corner of his eye, he saw a dark shape lunge at him. Zuko released a jet of fire from his hands, but the figure dodged it and roughly seized Zuko's throat, tackling him to the ground in the process. Zuko's windpipe was nearly crushed, but he brought up and foot and slammed it into the chest of his attacker. With a loud grunt, the man fell onto the ground, clutching his torso.

At that moment, Azula was struggling to stand. Someone tackled her from behind, sending her crashing to the dirt. Azula hissed with pain, and then fury.

"What a pleasant surprise, princess," A deep voice chuckled. Azula felt her hands being forcefully yanked behind her, and then restrained with metal chains. This time, she couldn't burn them off. In a moment of rage, Azula shot blue fire from her palms, hoping to land an attack on her captor. Instead, she was rewarded with the sound of jeering laughter. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" A hard fist slammed into her jaw, whipping her head to the side. Azula's vision doubled, and her mind went hazy.

She was lifted clean off the ground, and felt herself being carried speedily through the forest. Her tender burns received ill treatment, and Azula could only focus on how much her entire body ached. The man dashed through the trees for what felt like an eternity, and then finally paused.

"There you are!" a voice rang out. "Toss her in there with these two, and let's get out of here!"

The thief carrying Azula tossed her like a sack of potatoes onto a wooden cart. She landed heavily on something hard, yet soft at the same time.

"Ow!" Sokka yelped. "Get your shoulder out of my nose!"

"Quiet," Azula hissed. She soon realized that there was a third person in the cart with them. The water tribe girl lay on her right side, with blood seeping down the side of her head. She was out cold.

The three of them were promptly tied to each other by thick coils of rope. Azula knew that she could not burn through them, at least not in her current state. She lay there, tightly pressed against two of the people she hated most in the world. The cart began to roll, sending them off on an unknown destination. Things could not get any worse.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**So Azula gets "stuck" with Katara and Sokka, out of all people...I hope that wasn't too "convenient." ^.^ Review, please! **


	13. A Narrow Escape

Chapter 13: 

The ostrich-horse-drawn cart crashed through the forest. Sokka could feel every bump, and it did not make it any better than the Fire Nation Princess was practically lying right on top of him. He writhed and struggled with the bonds, but Sokka knew he was not a miracle worker.

_Combustion Man probably wouldn't even be able to break through these ropes,_ Sokka though grimly. _Think, Sokka, think! You're the brains of the group...find some way to get out of this mess! _The longer it took them to escape, the further away they would be from the rest of the Gaang.

As he scanned the rickety cart, an idea popped into his head. Swallowing, Sokka nudged Azula with his elbow. The dark-haired demon glared at him. "What?"

"Do you see that pebble right there?" Sokka whispered. He nodded his head toward a small, rounded piece of rock on the ground. "Get it for me."

Azula scowled. "Just what do you plan to do, peasant?"

"Hey! Quiet back there!" the thieves barked.

Sokka remained silent for a moment, and then spoke again, in a low voice. "We need to distract them and stall for time. Toph, Zuko, and Aang are going to be coming after us, and we can't let ourselves get too far away."

Azula scoffed. "And you expect to accomplish this with a pebble? While you're tied up?"

Sokka clamped his mouth shut. He wasn't usually one to think things through. "Well...why don't you blow fire out of your mouth or something? You know, fry that guy's hair off."

"I refuse to do something so demeaning," Azula rolled her golden eyes.

"Oh please," Sokka muttered. "You're tied up with two "peasants" in the back of a rickety wooden cart owned by a couple of thieves. I say you have nothing to lose."

"I said QUIET BACK THERE!" a deep voice shattered their conversation.

Azula bit back a venomous retort.

Sokka did not seem to hear the anger in the tone of the thieves. He casually continued speaking. "Do you have a better idea? Just spit it out. I'd like to hear you ingenious plan for getting us out of here."

Suddenly the cart lurched to the side.

"Look out!" one of the men bellowed.

Azula craned her head and saw a collapsed tree right in the middle of the path.

The thieves panicked and yanked the reins of the ostrich-horse. The animals veered to the side, but the cart they were pulling was not nearly as agile. The rusted wheels skidded on the ground before toppling over. The bundle of Sokka, Azula, and Katara rolled out, thudding to the ground.

They were on an incline, and promptly proceeded with rapidly descending down the hill. Sokka yelped as they tumbled gracelessly through bushes and over rocks, sticks, and filthy earth. The dim sky and the hard ground blurred together as they spun around and around, endlessly spiraling downhill.

"K-keep rolling," Sokka blurted, as if it were possible to do otherwise. "We n-need to g-get away from those th-thieves!"

His head collided with the ground nearly a dozen times, and Sokka could feel dizziness settling in. Scratches and bruises accumulated on his skin.

Suddenly, he became engulfed in ice cold liquid from head to toe. Sokka was so stunned his brain did not process the information right away. Sound was shut from his ears, and all he could hear the the pounding of his own heart. When his mouth opened to take a breath, frosty water flooded it.

They had fallen into a river. The currents were swiftly transporting them away, and they were sinking in it, quick. The heavy coils of rope that bound them together ensured that there was no escaping this watery demise.

_If only Katara were awake!_ Sokka cursed. _She could get us out of here in a heartbeat!_

Sokka was in too much despair to be startled when warm hands grabbed his. Then searing hot pain shot all over his wrists, and Sokka let out a silent scream underwater. He squirmed in vain to free his wrists from the grasp of the princess. Azula's grip tightened, and from their awkward positions, she released more fire underwater. Sokka ground his teeth in pain and fury, but that subsided when his blackened bonds slid from his blistered wrists.

Azula went to work with the thicker length of rope that was fastened around all three of them.

_I swear to Agni I will get out of this,_ she hissed to herself. _I refuse to die in such a disgraceful manner!_

She could not free herself, for her bonds were made of metal. But Azula knew that the water tribe boy could save all of their lives, if he were released. Using the last of her strength, Azula released a powerful beam of fire from her body. She expelled the energy in front of her, concentrating on burning the ropes to a crisp.

Summoning fire underwater was a difficult task that rapidly drained her. Azula gritted her teeth, letting every ounce of strength in her body become fuel for the fire. She watched as the bonds slowly turned black, splitting apart at the edges. The fine threads withered and curled as the thickness of the rope dwindled.

_Just a little more..._Azula pleaded to her body.

The coil struggled to remain attached, gripping on to every last thread. Azula felt the water tribe boy pushing against the bonds, and at last, they snapped. The rope slackened and slid loose as Sokka, Azula, and Katara were free at last. Azula gave in to the blackness.

Sokka pushed himself apart from Katara and Azula with great relief. He spun around underwater and grabbed the two unconscious girls. With all the power in his legs, Sokka pushed himself, and two other people, toward the surface. Both of his hands tightly gripped the biceps of Azula and Katara. They weighed him down, but Sokka did not care at the moment.

His muscles screamed out in pain as he strained them beyond limits. His vision was swimming, and the world around him darkened with every second. Biting his lip mercilessly to stay awake, Sokka gave one final push. His head erupted up into the air, and heaving gasps shot in and out of his body.

Sokka floated there for a moment, relishing the feeling of oxygen filling his lungs. The river had calmed down now, but was still dragging them downstream. Sokka waited for the opportune moment when a lowhanging branch presented itself. He shifted Katara and Azula to one arm, holding them by their collars.

_It's just for a moment,_ he grimaced, looking at the way their heads hung heavily into the water. He snatched the branch, and then climbed up the extension until solid ground revealed itself.

Sokka lay Katara and Azula on the ground in a heap. His limbs were shaking so much that he could hardly even crawl on the ground. Willing himself to move, he sluggishly picked up Katara and them pumped the water out of her. Katara coughed and gagged as what seemed like gallons of water rushed out of her. She mumbled something and then fell back to sleep.

Sokka dropped his sister back onto the ground and gave the princes the same treatment.

It was then that Sokka noticed with mild interest that the entire front of Azula shirt had been scorched right off. The sides of her robes hung in shaggy tatters.

_...Must've been from burning the ropes off..._ Sokka thought wearily. _...Whatever. _His heavy exhaustion prevented him from reacting to Azula's lack of decency. He hoisted the princess up with quivering arms and rolled her onto her stomach.

_That should do it. _Sokka curled up into a ball between Katara and Azula and drifted off into a deep sleep.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**I would really love some reviews right now!**


	14. Unwanted Burden

Chapter 14:

Katara slowly came awake. Every inch of her felt damp and slimy, and she was vaguely aware that sticky clumps of hair were draped all over her face. She was chilled to the bone, and her limbs felt unnaturally heavy.

Groaning, Katara slowly sat up, blinking. Her head felt light, and throbbed slightly around her left temple. Feeling gently with her fingers, Katara discovered a modest-sized lump where she had been struck. Katara noticed the river flowing a few feet away from where she was lying, and immediately drew water from it. Pressing the orb of liquid to her head, Katara healed her injury with ease. She gingerly stood up, wincing as she discovered a myriad of fresh bruises and cuts. _Where did they come from?_ she wondered.

Katara glanced around at her surroundings with mild surprise. Lying right next to her was Sokka, collapsed in a heap and sleeping like a log. Her eyes traveled further, and saw the princess of the Fire Nation next to Sokka. She was also out like a light.

Katara strolled over to where they were lying and knelt down between Sokka and Azula. She placed a hand on each of their foreheads. Sokka was fine, but Azula was burning. Katara frowned, but then began to carefully examine Sokka for any injuries. He was covered in the same amount of bruises as she was, but nothing too severe.

Moving on to Azula, Katara instantly noticed that the princess's wrists were still secured with metal chains.

_Well, that saves us the trouble of having to tie her up, _Katara thought.

She hesitantly flipped the princess onto her back, and wrinkled her brow with surprise when she saw that the entire front of Azula's robes seemed like they had been completely torn off. The bandages were gone, and her shirt completely ruined. Katara could not figure out how in the world that had happened. The intensity of Azula's burns had ebbed away over the past few days, but they were still hot and tender.

A quick scan of the area told Katara that they had not been lucky enough to escape with a few supplies. Katara reached down and tore off a whole length of her skirt. She wrapped the cloth around Azula's chest, covering her up the best she could.

Scratching her head with wonder, Katara recalled the events that had occured the night before. They had been ambushed by thieves. One of them kidnapped Sokka, she dashed after them...and then that was it. How they ended up downriver and soaking wet she could not comprehend.

Nonetheless, Katara immediately took action. She sucked the water out of all of their clothing and hair, leaving them dry. She then set off to scavenge for food. The forest surrounding them was quite generous, and yielded a variety of berries and edible plants. Katara returned to Sokka and Azula carrying a handful of vegetation. She knew that Sokka would complain about the lack of meat.

Katara gathered logs and twigs, and then went to work igniting them. After all of the months of camping in the wilderness, Katara was well-informed of what it took to make a fire. Just as the wood began to crackle, Sokka yawned.

"Thank goodness you're awake," Katara sighed.

Sokka rubbed his eyes. He was extremely tired, and crawled sluggishly toward the fire. Sokka had been tormented by dreams of ice cold water, drowning, and blue fire. He shook his head to clear his mind. "Got any food?"

"You bet." Katara dumped a pile of berries into Sokka's awaiting hands. He shamelessly proceeded to shove them all down his throat. Purple and red juice splattered over his mouth as he munched greedily.

"Sokka," Katara sat cross-legged on the ground. "Care to explain how we got here?"

"Do...you...know..." Sokka mumbled in between chews. "How close...we were...to dying...?"

Katara shook her head. "No, actually, I don't. So what happened?"

Sokka swallowed a heavy mouthful. "We were kidnapped by a couple of thieves. They tied all three of us together..." Sokka motioned to Azula. "...and threw us in the back of a cart pulled by ostrich-horses. We had a little accident, and the cart tipped!" Sokka's hand motions grew wild. "We crashed down the hill and landed in the river!"

Sokka stuffed another fistful of berries in his mouth, and Katara patiently waited for him to finish chewing.

"We sank like a rock, and I thought for sure this was the end of Sokka of the water tribe!" Sokka was now energetic, with a belly full of food. "But NO! I grabbed both of you ladies and swam to shore, saving all of our lives!" Sokka sat back with a flashing smile.

"Wait, wait, wait," Katara shook her head.

"What?" came the slightly annoyed reply.

"You said that the three of us were tied together. How in the world did you get free?"

"The details don't matter," Sokka brushed it off.

"Of course they matter," Katara cocked a brow. She immediately sensed her brother's hesitation. Just what was he hiding?

Sokka exhaled. "...Well...Azula burned all of our ropes off, _but that's besides the point_!"

Katara's eyes narrowed. "So basically, we would all be dead if it weren't for Azula?"

"No!" Sokka uttered. "Of course not! I would have figured out a way for us to escape...somehow!"

"Uh-huh," Katara poked at the fire. Sokka scowled, stuffed some berries in his mouth, and resumed scowling.

"This means nothing," Sokka perked up. "She was only freeing me because she knew I could get us out of the situation. She was saving herself."

"But clearly, Azula knows that you could have just left her there, and only saved me," Katara pointed out.

"Pfft," Sokka scoffed. "Spare me. It was probably just some last resort...she had nothing better to do, so she freed me in hopes that I would be merciful enough to rescue her."

"And...you did," Katara muttered.

Sokka smacked his forehead in frustration. "Darn it! My gentlemanly instincts must have taken over. I couldn't leave a girl to just die in the cold water like that. If I had been thinking straight, I would have let that demon drown without a second thought!"

"You never would have done that," Katara said softly. Then something crossed her eyes. "And Azula knows it. She was taking advantage of your kindness. She realizes that you wouldn't let her die, for the sake of your conscience and for the sake of Zuko." she massaged her brows. "Azula's just playing smart again."

"You're right!" Sokka's hand curled into a fist. "We were fooled by Azula, yet again!"

Their eyes traveled to Azula's unconscious form.

"What are we supposed to do with her?" Sokka lowered his voice, as if talking too loud could bring the princess to life.

"Well we have to get out of here and find the others as soon as possible. If Azula isn't going to wake up, then we'll have to carry her, somehow."

"Not it!" Sokka clamored.

Katara frowned. "Come on, Sokka. You know we'll have to work as a team and take turns carrying her." Hearing Sokka's groans of protest, Katara added, "Don't you want to be a gentleman? Or do you want to be known as the guy who wasn't man enough to carry an injured girl, and let his sister do it for him instead?"

Sokka smacked his forehead half a dozen times.

"The longer we wait, the more lost we'll be," Katara said.

"Haven't we been taught to stay in one place if we're lost?" Sokka asked hopefully. "Maybe we should just relax here until Appa swoops in from the sky and picks us up?"

"No," Katara snapped. "I'll tell you what you're going to do. You're going to pick up Azula _right now_, and we're going to head upstream...right NOW."

Hearing the threat in Katara's voice, Sokka stood, grumbling about crazy sisters and Fire Nation princesses. He reluctantly shuffled over to where Azula lay, and pulled the senseless princess up by the crook of her elbow. Azula's head hung limply, and her hair lay in disarray across her head.

Sokka noted that Katara had wrapped part of her skirt around Azula's chest, and a blush began to creep to his cheeks as he remembered the inappropriate image he had seen the night before. Shaking his head furiously, Sokka cleared the memory from his brain. _This is Azula we're talking about_, he growled to himself.

Grunting, Sokka lifted and draped Azula around his shoulders. He turned to look at Katara, who was busy stomping out the fire.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he grumbled. "Let's go."

Together, they headed uphill with high hopes of finding the rest of the Gaang.

**OoOoOoOoOo**


	15. Pride and Dignity

Chapter 15:

The sun beat down on them as Sokka and Katara trudged uphill. Katara had hastily fastened several containers out of some leaves and filled it up with water from the river. They had plenty to drink, but that did not make the trek any less exhausting. Bugs hummed in the air and humidity clung to them like a wet rag.

Sokka and Katara dragged themselves along for hours, until the late afternoon. The trip would not have been so arduous if they did not have exchange turns carrying a whole person with them.

Azula weighed heavily on Sokka's back as he stumbled through the trees. Her body was far too warm, and her heat seeped into his skin, adding to his discomfort. There was nothing Sokka hated more than having to carry someone who was such a terrible enemy. He had not forgotten how she had played with his emotions on the Day of the Black Sun. He would never forgive her for incarcerating Suki, and for wasting all of their time during the eclipse.

Sokka internally growled. He was going to find Suki no matter what the cost, and if that meant killing Azula, then he was ready to do so. Glancing briefly back at the unconscious princess, Sokka found himself scoffing at how pitiful she looked. Her hair was matted with sweat, her skin flushed, and she shivered underneath her skimpy robes. Sokka thought he felt something akin to pity, but the feeling was wiped away when he realized how much his back ached. He could have sworn his spine was bent out of shape.

Sokka staggered to the side and dumped Azula down at the base of a tree. "That's it," he mumbled. "Either we take a break, or you can carry her."

Katara was about to take up the princess, but then she recognized the discomfort in the muscles of her back and shoulders. "You're right," she sighed. "Let's take a break." She sat down next to her complaining brother and they took turns taking long drinks from the sacs of water. Katara then knelt in front of Azula, who was still lying in the awkwward position she was in when Sokka thoughtlessly dumped her there.

"What are you doing?" Sokka asked.

"Giving her some water."

"I'm sure she got enough of that last night," Sokka chuckled. "No need to give her ours."

"If I don't, she'll die," Katara said simply. She flipped Azula onto her back and elevated her head. Katara raised her hand and summoned a thin stream of water into the air. Without warning, Katara forcefully waterbent the liquid into Azula's mouth and down her throat.

Sokka's eyes widened in awe as he saw Azula's throat contracting as the water shoved its way down. The princess cringed and mumbled something inaudible.

"There," Katara seemed satisfied. "That should do, for now."

"Talk about forceful," Sokka scoffed.

Katara shrugged. "I'm not going to let her die, but that doesn't mean I have to be gentle."

"Well alright. It's not like I care," Sokka sighed. "So what's the plan?"

"Why are you asking me? Coming up with plans is your job."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Fine. I say we continue hiking uphill after taking our break, and then camp somehwere when it gets dark."

"Sounds simple enough."

Just then, Katara heard a small sound from the princess. She looked down at her curiously, and saw Azula shifting. The chains secured around her wrists clinked lightly as she squirmed in her sleep. Azula's eyelids clenched tightly together, and her lips made out words with no sound.

Katara watched as Azula mumbled and fidgeted. The princess was slowly coming to wakefulness, and Katara was not surprised when a pair of intense amber orbs revealed themselves.

Azula's glazed eyes stared blankly ahead, half clouded with sleep and half clouded with confusion. Katara remained silent, looking into the pools of gold. Azula blinked several times and groggily rolled over onto her side. Without warning, she was assaulted by agonizing, hacking coughs. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as the spasms ravaged through her body.

Sokka heard her coughing and turned.

The princess struggled to control herself. When her coughing spell was over, she was involuntarily gasping for air. Azula lay there, panting for a few moments before she took in her surroundings. Blurs of green spun around her, contrasted by two blue smudges. As her vision sharpened, Azula made out the images of the two water tribe peasants.

Katara regarded her impassively. "You're lucky to be alive."

Azula waited a moment before answering. Her usual quick wit and tongue failed to function, due to the fact that her mind was processing information at a snail's pace. Making out words seemed to take such an effort, but Azula forced herself to speak. "As are you," she choked out.

Crossing his arms, Sokka scowled. "You should be thankful. I could have let you drown in that icy water, but instead, I rescued you. My sister and I have been breaking our backs for the past several hours carrying you."

A heavy sense of disgrace fell upon Azula. She felt sick at the thought of a couple of uncivilized peasants lending her their assistance. The worst part was that she had absolutely no use for them. Her father had ordered her to kill Zuko and the avatar, not a couple of barbarians. _However, sticking with these uncultured beings will lead me to my goal_, Azula reminded herself. _They will bring me to the avatar and my brother._

"It warms my heart to know that you care for my well being," Azula sneered. "I never imagined I would ever require help from the likes of you." She pushed as much arrogance and smugness into her words as possible, trying to put up a superior facade. It was quite difficult, seeing as she was lying on the ground in rags with her wrists chained up.

"Well, now that you're awake, that saves us the trouble of having to carry you," Katara said with aloofness.

Azula's eyes narrowed, despite their tiredness.

"Katara..." Sokka whispered uncertainly. "Are you sure...?"

"Of course!" Katara put a hand on her hip. "If this she-devil is so proud, then she can walk on her own...with dignity!" Katara stormed up to Azula and towered above her. "We need to continue upriver now, and my brother and I are in no mood to drag your weight along with us. So you'll just have to carry it yourself."

Sokka's bit his lip. "I don't think that's such a good idea..."

Katara raised a hand, silencing him. She glared down at Azula, who had not made a move. "Well? What are you lying around for? Get up, and let's get going!"

_That damned girl. _Azula gritted her teeth, frustrated not only because she had driven herself into a corner, but because she had allowed the peasant to put her in this difficult, demeaning position. Azula's mind began to conjure up a list of courses of action to take. At this point, there were only three options available. One was to go against the girl's orders, and to remain on the ground. By doing so, however, Azula would be admitting that she was too weak to stand. She grimly ruled out that choice.

Another option would be to outright admit that she was unable to walk, thus putting her modesty out in the open and tossing her dignity into the trash. Azula shuddered at doing such a disgraceful thing, and crossed out that option with great pleasure.

Grimacing, Azula faced her final choice.

"Hurry up. We don't have all day," Katara snapped. She and Sokka were standing up with their supplies in hand. Azula knew that if they were to leave her here in the forest bound up, she would surely perish. Her only choice was to follow them.

Taking a deep breath, Azula rolled onto her stomach, bent her legs underneath her, and then slowly elevated herself. Her hands were chained behind her back, leaving her no means of support or balance. Her legs shook unsteadily beneath her. Her muscles had not been used in days, nor had they been fueled by food. When Azula managed to get up on her wobbly legs, her vision began to swim.

Katara watched her, frowning. Sokka was mildly worried.

"Katara, we shouldn't be doing this."

"She deserves it. She thinks she's so high and mighty because she's a princess...I'm sick of it!"

"I know she deserves it," Sokka sighed. "I hate her too. But don't you think this is overdoing it a bit?"

Katara didn't answer.

Azula battled with the agonizing pain that shot throughout her body. Her torso burned sorely, and her head felt like it had been cracked in half. Blood pounded in her ears, and her vision flickered. Azula focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Each step was excruciatingly difficult, and each step drained away what little strength she possessed.

"This could count as torture," Sokka rubbed the back of his head. "Just watching her kills me."

The princess teetered dangerously for a moment, and Sokka and Katara were sure that she was going to fall. But Azula regained her balance, and drew herself up with as much pride as possible. "What...are you looking at...?" she gasped. "We don't...have all day."

Sokka opened his mouth to speak, but Katara interrupted.

"You're right. We don't have all day. Let's go, Sokka." Katara snatched up her brother's hand and led him up upriver. Azula trailed dizzily behind.

The two water tribe members walked slowly on purpose, just to make sure that Azula could catch up. Katara cast glances back, eyeing daggers at the princess.

Azula staggered through the forest, fighting against unconsciousness. She kept her eyes on the two people clad in blue, following their footsteps. She felt something drip from her face, and realized that she was completely soaked with sweat. Her breaths came out ragged and shallow. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to stand, and it hurt to think. But Azula had her pride to keep in mind. She was not going to give the peasants the satisfaction...she was not...

Azula fell heavily onto her knees. She mentally screamed at herself to stand up, but her body no longer obeyed her.

Hearing her collapse, Katara and Sokka stopped in their tracks. Sokka slowly trudged back to the princess. "Do you need help now?"

"N-not from you."

Disregarding the answer, Sokka bent down and gripped Azula's arm, pulling her up. Even with Sokka's support, Azula found that she still could not stand on her own. Her legs were feeble, spent.

"If you can't walk, we'll have to carry you," Sokka said simply. "Does it pain you that much to have a couple of_ peasants_ help you?"

Azula was fading away. Her limbs shook with effort, and the pain suffocated her. She stared into the eyes of the water tribe boy, unable to conjure up the strength to reply to him.

Sokka knew what was going to happen long before it did. Azula's golden eyes became dull and unfocused. Her arms, legs, and shoulders began to relax, and her head gently rolled back. Sokka caught the princess as she sagged in his arms.

"Does your pride really mean that much to you?" Sokka muttered. "Why would you put yourself through so much for such a thing?"

Azula's soft groan was his only answer.

Sokka stared at the princess who was limp in his arms. Then he turned to Katara. "I believe it's your turn to carry her next."

Katara grumbled, but said nothing.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**Fear not, dear readers...things will get better for poor Azula ^.^ Review, please!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

_Mai tightly gripped the arm of the quivering princess. Her weight slowed them down, but that was the least of her worries. Mai's heart was pounding, and she was in a daze after what she had just witnessed. She and Ty Lee hurriedly sped through the hallways, dodging servants and struggling to ignore their wide-eyed, horrified stares. They couldn't even imagine how Azula was feeling at the moment. The princess ducked her head, eyes toward the ground. Her dark hair draped over her face, covering her expression. Mai wasn't even sure if she was conscious or not. _

_Ty Lee carelessly kicked open the door to Azula's room and then lay the princess onto the bed with tenderness. "Azula...oh, Azula!" she sobbed. _

_Mai swallowed a lump in her throat and slowly walked toward the edge of the bed. Azula's eyes fluttered opened and she peered up at them with such anguish that Mai wanted to turn away...but she couldn't. Mai saw something that she had not witnessed in years. Azula was crying. _

_The princess did not move, but drops of tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and slid down the sides of her face. Ty Lee sobbed harder, and reached down to dab her cheeks. _

_"Mai...Ty Lee..." the princess mumbled in a daze. The color had drained from her face, and sweat glistened on her skin. _

_"Mai, send for a nurse immediately!" Ty Lee gasped. _

_Without hesitation, Mai swept out of the room. She could hear Azula weakly disagreeing with Ty Lee's request. _

_Mai had only walked a few steps when she ran into about five nurses, all prepared with washcloths, bandages, and medicine. They were well aware of what unsavory event had recently befallen their princess. In fact, the entire Royal Palace was now clamoring with it. The nurses burst into the room with Mai trailing after them. Ty Lee was bent over Azula, gently stroking her damp hair and desperately trying to comfort her friend. _

_"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask the both of you to leave," one of the nurses said firmly. _

_"No," Mai replied simply. _

_"Please," Ty Lee begged. "Let us be with her!" _

_The nurse waved her hand. "No means no. It doesn't matter to me if you are her best friends. The princess is in a critical condition, and we cannot have any distractions while we treat her. If I must, I shall call in some guards to escort you out." _

_"If you think that a couple of guards can..." Ty Lee began. _

_Mai grabbed her arm. "Maybe she's right, Ty Lee. We'll just distract them, and Azula needs to be treated right away. The more we argue, the longer it will take for the nurses to get to work." _

_Ty Lee grunted, and she and Mai reluctantly departed from Azula's bedroom. They headed out into the courtyard, where Ty Lee crumpled to the ground and broke into loud sobs. "I...I don't believe it...I don't believe it," she muttered to herself. "...How could he...?" _

_Mai wanted to reassure her friend, except that she couldn't think of anything reassuring to say. She shuddered at the thought of what Azula had gone through, and was going through at that moment. _

_At that time, a large commotion could be heard as the crowd of people exited the palace. On either side of the courtyard, streams of people were filing toward the exit, babbling like there was no tomorrow. Small children jumped up and down excitedly, chattering about the "cool" battle they had just seen, without realizing the impact of it. Some of them were complaining to their parents about why they had "covered their eyes at that last part." _

_The adults' faces were filled with solemn disbelief and amazement. They spoke in loud, awed tones, confirming with each other repeatedly, making sure that what they had just witnessed was true. One could tell that the moment these people made their way outside, there would not be a single soul in the Fire Nation who had not heard about Princess Azula's fate. The gossip would reach all four corners of the nation. _

_The snippets of baffled conversations that Ty Lee picked up from the crowd made her distraught. She hated the way the lords and ladies viewed the Agni Kai; they merely saw it as an opportunity to gossip about the Royal Family, to say that they had been inside the palace and witnessed such a sight, the duel between the two most powerful firebenders. _

_As the crowd passed by, they glanced at Mai and Ty Lee and then hastily averted their eyes. Everyone knew that those were the two best friends of the princess. Surely this event internally damaged them in some way. _

_"I can't stand it anymore..." Ty Lee wiped her puffy eyes. She jumped to her feet and dashed around the corner. _

_"Ty Lee, where do you think you're going?" Mai demanded, bolting after her. _

_The pink-clad acrobat dodged through the crowd of people and ran into a barrier of guards who were edging people out. _

_"Please turn around," they said gruffly through their helmets. "The exit is that way." _

_"I must speak with the Fire Lord," Ty Lee said breathlessly. _

_"You may not. The Fire Lord does not have time to accommodate you at the moment." _

_"No!" Ty Lee shouted. "Let me through!" _

_"That's enough of this nonsense," the guard hissed. He jabbed his spear at her, not meaning to kill but to threaten. Ty Lee sidestepped the spear and jammed her knuckles into a pressure point, causing the man to collapse heavily onto the ground. _

_The other guards, sensing that the girl posed a danger, began to advance, calling upon their flames. Mai jumped in and disabled several guards, pinning them to trees with her daggers. _

_"Enough!" a voice roared. Fire Lord Ozai emerged from the shadows, a deep glare set on his features. He was now fully clothed, wearing thick scarlet robes. "What is this? First, you rudely interrupt my Agni Kai. Then you dragged my daughter away without my permission. Now you are attacking my guards?" _

_Ozai gestured for the remaining guards to leave. When they scrambled away, he turned to Ty Lee and Mai, frowning. "Explain yourselves!" _

_"Forgive me, my lord," Ty Lee struggled to regain her composure. She knelt down and respectfully bowed to Ozai, although each motion was a raging battle. "I wished to speak with you, but your guards tried to prevent me from doing so..." _

_Ozai's frown darkened. "The fact that you are friends of my daughter means nothing to me. It does not grant you permission to seek an audience with me whenever you wish." _

_Ty Lee instantly stood up. "I don't care." Her voice shook. "How could you? How could you do that to your own daughter?" _

_The Fire Lord did not bat an eye. "She deserved it, for the numerous offenses she made against me." _

_"But...but hurting her like that...terribly scarring her for life...that was cruel!" Ty Lee almost burst into tears again. _

_"I was disappointed in her. She was proving to be weak, just as Zuko is," Ozai rumbled. "She defied my commands by refusing to kill her brother." The Fire Lord was becoming angrier. "This is not the way I raised her. Because she dishonored me, she faced the consequences. It is only just." _

_"Just?" Mai growled. "This is what you call just?" _

_"I have had about enough of you two," Ozai spat. "Azula is no longer welcome at my home, and neither are you!" _

_Just then, a nurse hurried up to them, dragging her white robes with her. Heaving for breath, she pointed shakily up at the palace. "The princess...she...my lord...and ladies...I apologize...!" _

_Mai felt her chest tighten with panic. "What?" she snapped. "What happened to Azula?" _

_"She's gone!" the nurse looked terrified, and not only for Azula, but for herself. She knelt on the ground, pleading. "I am so sorry," she begged. "Please...!" _

_"Gone?" Ty Lee squeaked, covering her mouth. "Gone as in...dead?" _

_"Oh no!" The nurse replied quickly. "She disappeared. Her window is open, and..." _

_"How the hell did that happen?" Mai let one of her rare outbursts escape. "You're supposed to be taking care of her! How did she escape? How could you let her?"_

_"Forgive me, my lady," the nurse bowed, truly scared now. "But you must have mercy on me! The princess...she...she threatened us with fire, and commanded for us to leave immediately. We did not want to...but we also did not want to disobey our princess...and we were worried for our lives." _

_"So what happened?" Mai hissed. _

_"A few minutes after she expelled us from her room, we dared to go back in. We decided that we must insist that she receive treatment from us. But by the time we opened the door, her window was wide open...and she was gone."_

_Ty Lee let out a small whimper. "Oh no, Azula. What have you done?" _

_Mai turned to Ozai, knowing she was going to despise his response. "What do you make of this, my_ lord_?" she spat with sarcasm. _

_Ozai let out a breath. "It seems that my daughter knows where her loyalties lie after all. After I punished her, she realized that if she does not want anything worse to befall her, she must instantly carry out my order. Azula has gone to dispose of Zuko and the avatar. It seems to me like harsh punishments can offer satisfactory outcomes." _

_Mai ground her teeth, clenching the dagger in her hand tightly. She willed herself not to impale Ozai between the eyes. _

_"Now, as for you two, get out of my sight," Ozai snarled. He turned around, his robes billowing behind him. _

_Ty Lee fell to the ground on her knees, gripping fistfuls of grass. "What are we supposed to do?" she sighed in despair. _

_"Simple." Underneath Mai's characteristic bored tone lay a spark of determination. "We're going to find Azula." _

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**I hope you guys didn't mind that this entire chapter was a flashback. It was pretty difficult to write.**

** And pretty please drop a review down in the box! I love your support, it means a lot to me, and motivates me to write (Or type...) ^.^ **


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